Birth of A City: Nieuw Amsterdam & Old New York

Birth of A City: Nieuw Amsterdam & Old New York

Working with City Lore’s director Steve Zeitlin, I helped pinpoint twelve locations in lower Manhattan with important connections to New York’s early Dutch past. I then researched, wrote texts, and selected images for reproduction on temporary signage to be placed in the relevant locations, in collaboration with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and the NYC Department of Transportation.

The inspiration for the project was the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s arrival in New York harbor in 1609.  While we included Native American history in the signs, if I were working on a similar project today, I would emphasize that the region’s Lenape people “discovered” Hudson just as much as Hudson “discovered” them. Designed by Emphas!s Design, with maps by Jos Ruks.