The Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague, was founded on Sept. 29, 1682, by Willem Doudijns, Theodoor van der Schuer, Daniël Mijtens, Robbert Duval and Augustinus Terwesten. In the "Haagsche Teeken-Academie," drawing was done in the evenings and society was held and art was discussed on Saturdays. In the 18th century, the Hague Academy was a prosperous institution. Toward the end of the 18th century, difficult times came with the loss of all financial support. The low point was around 1800 when there were fewer than ten students. Under King William I, support and growth returned. In 1821, drawing instruction was combined with the newly established School of Civil Engineering. After being housed in the Korenbeurs and the Boterwaag, a neoclassical building, designed by the city architect Zeger Reyers (1790-1857), on Prinsessegracht was moved into in 1839. In the 19th century, well-known artists Johannes Bosboom, Isaac Israëls, Willem Maris, Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch and George Hendrik Breitner trained here. In 1937 a new academy building was completed on the site of the old temple, designed by Jan Plantenga, Jan Buijs and Joan Lürssen. On the occasion of its 275th anniversary, the Academy received the designation "royal" in 1957. In 1990, the Royal Academy, the Royal Conservatory and the School for Photography and Photonics merged into the "School of Visual Arts, Music and Dance," since 2010 the "School of Arts The Hague. Outside the Netherlands, the School of Arts The Hague is called the 'University of the Arts in The Hague'. The Academy awards the Gerrit Noordzij Prize for letter design every two years.