De Telegraaf was founded by Henry Tindal, who simultaneously started another paper De Courant (“The Gazette”). The first issue appeared in 1893. Following Tindal’s death in1902 the printer HMC Holdert, with backing from financiers, took over De Telegraaf and De Courant. This proved to be a good investment, particularly with regard to De Courant, enabling Holdert between 1903 and 1923 to take over one newspaper after another, suspending publication as he went. In 1926, he began construction of a new printing facility at the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal in Amsterdam, designed by J.F. Staal and G.J. Langhout. Construction was completed and the building occupied in 1930. In 1974, De Telegraaf moved to its current location in the Basisweg.