The renovation of the Rijksmuseum was about more than adapting an outmoded museum to the demands of the time. On 19 September 2000, State Secretary for Culture Rick van der Ploeg wrote to the Chairman of the House of Parliament and the director of the Rijksmuseum that the government had decided on a total makeover of the museum. This meant that the main building would have to be completely emptied for the first time since it opened. This in turn provided an opportunity to clear out the museum, which over time had become a veritable maze, and to give the monument its old grandeur together with a fresh new look. The Kok government’s millennium gift provided the financial boost that made this prestigious national project possible.