Faculty lecture to analyze Dutch colonies in 17th-century America
Dr. Jeroen van den Hurk, assistant professor in the Noreen Stonor Drexel Cultural and Historic Preservation Program, will present “Old New York Was Once New Amsterdam: Origins and Survival of Netherlandic Architecture in North America” at 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11 in the McKillop Library as part of the library’s faculty lecture series.
New Netherland, which extended from Albany, New York in the north to Delaware in the south, was the first Dutch colony in 17th-century North America during an era referred to as the Dutch Golden Age. So what do we know about the architectural influences of the settlers in this region along the Hudson and Delaware rivers?
Through an analysis of 17th-century building contracts from both the Dutch Republic and the Dutch colony of New Netherland, van den Hurk’s research takes a critical look at what has been deemed Dutch colonial architecture. These historical documents, along with others from the region in the late 17th and 18th centuries, serve as a starting point for reconstructing the built environment of New Netherland that no longer survives.
Originally from the Netherlands, van den Hurk has lived in the United States since 1995. He received his M.A. in architectural history from Utrecht University and his Ph.D. in American art and architecture and architectural history (1550-1850) from the University of Delaware.
