 The Bassenheimer Hof was erected in 1750 per the plans of the electoral master builder ("Oberbaudirektor") Anselm Franz von Ritter zu Groenesteyn (or "Grünstein") on behalf of the prince-elector as a retirement home for his sister the widow, the countess of Bassenheim.It was built near the Osteiner Hof.The architect had been particularly impressed, during his studies in Paris, by the Place Vendôme and Hôtel de Torcy (Hôtel de Beauharnais), with their formal statements and their elegant construction, reflecting the baroque French style.