Dutch Colonial Homes in America

by Roderic H. Blackburn, Geoffrey Gross, Harrison Frederick Meeske

This lavishly-illustrated volume provides an unprecedented look at twenty-eight houses (plus eleven barns and other structures) built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by Dutch colonists in the north-eastern United States, primarily in upstate New York and along the Hudson River Valley, on Long Island and Staten Island, and in New Jersey. An authoritative work-- written by eminent experts in the field-- Dutch Colonial Homes in America explores the homes in their broader social context by focusing on the historical and religious forces of the times. This book is the first to investigate the meaning of the home and its aesthetics for the Dutch in America, and also the first to look at these homes as a form of art and craft and, importantly, the influence this form and these people had on the shape of the American house to come. The 200 spectacular new color photographs here are beautifully styled in a manner that recalls the paintings of Vermeer and evoke what might have been the ambiance of these homes hundreds of years ago.

Genres: Architecture

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 18, 2002

Reviews

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting a coffee-table pictorial of various historic homes, but this book also comes with an enlightening overview of the architectural style favored by early Dutch Americans, how it evolved as the English took over and how other groups such as the Swedes influenced design. Interior photos reveal wood-paneled fireplaces, massive ceiling beams, and Dutch doors (of course). Particular attention is given by the author to an explanation of the benefits of the distinctive gambrel roof to ward off strong winds and/or to allow for ample storage or sleeping quarters for enslaved servants or the family's older children. Careful placement of fireplace flues was an important and necessary consideration, too, but research has also brought to light a penchant for decorative folk art painting and pride in craftsmanship evidenced by original metalwork displayed in door handles, etc. Quite an interesting portrait of colonial life. Bonus: Ran across my nine-times great-grandfather's home in New Jersey, built in 1699!