ICOMOS Netherlands Lectures - Heritage Developments In The Dutch Caribbean

19:30 Opening by Remco Vermeulen

19:35 Michael Newton, General heritage developments and trends on the six islands of the Dutch Caribbean

19:55 Stephanie van Heijningen, The Waterfort Willemstad

20:10 Short break

20:20 Gabriela Jimenz, Masterclass ‘World Heritage meets Main Street’

20:35 Nanette de Jong, Culture convenant and mission

20:50 Q&A with audience

21:15 End

General heritage developments and trends on the six islands of the Dutch Caribbean by Michael Newton

All Dutch Caribbean islands have their own specific built heritage. The best known is the UNESCO World Heritage site of Willemstad on Curaçao with some houses going back to the 17th century. On the other islands the buildings date back to the 19th and 20th century.  Although the islands are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and it is a shared heritage, safeguarding it is primarily an island (government) responsibility. An overview will be given of the heritage developments and challenges of the last decade on Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten (CAS islands) and Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (BES islands). 

 

The Waterfort Willemstad by Stephanie van Heijningen

The Algemeen Pensioenfonds Curaçao acquired the Plaza Hotel Complex in 2020, with the plan to develop the site, which encompasses The Waterfort. Considering that the site is situated in Willemstad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and that The Waterfort is a protected monument, it is important to identify the accompanying values and cultural significance. As part of the holistic approach to developing this area, research was conducted to help clarify the site’s historical background and values from a critical viewpoint. In this brief lecture, the research framework and findings will be presented, together with the suggested restoration approach that stems from it.

 

Masterclass 'World Heritage meets Main Street' by Gabriela Jimenez

Last month the Curaçao Monuments Fund and Ministry of Traffic, Transport and Spatial Planning of Curaçao, along with the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies and Heritage Strategies International, organized the masterclass 'World Heritage meets Main Street'. It was a pleasure to participate in such a multi-disciplinary approach to urban redevelopment. The Main Street method towards heritage-based economic development focuses on organization, design, promotion, and economic vitality, showcasing opportunities for strong commitment by public, private, and NGO communities to explore methods for historic area revitalization in Willemstad. The historic districts of Punda and Otrobanda consist of an inherited collection of assets, history, and culture that distinguishes them internally and externally, and have the potential to unite people and places.

Culture covenant and mission by Nanette de Jong

Lately the Dutch Caribbean region gets more and more attention from the government in the Hague. On 17 September 2022 the Dutch State Secretary Mrs Uslu signed a culture covenant with the three Dutch islands Saba, Statia (St Eustatius) and Bonaire. In the covenant the focus is on “the base in order” with special attention for heritage. Each island will now follow with a culture agenda. Nanette de Jong was part of the culture mission in the past month to discuss with the Public Entities of the three islands what topics in the agenda’s cooperation is possible. In the presentation she shares some observations and experiences.

 

Ir. Michael A. Newton (M.Arch.) was born and raised in Curaçao. He studied architecture at the Delft University of Technology.  During his studies he published the book ”Architectuur en Bouwwijze van het Curaçaose landhuis”,   (Architecture and Construction of the Curaçao plantation house ). From 1988-1993 he worked at the Curaçao Department of Urban Planning and Housing and was involved in setting up a monument policy for the island. From 1993 to 2017 he worked as a conservation architect at the Curaçao Monuments Fund Foundation. During this period around 200 restoration projects were carried out by third parties, which were supervised and co-financed by the Monuments Fund. He has written several publications on the historical architecture of Curaçao and the urban renewal of Willemstad; since 1997 a UNESCO World Heritage site. He gave presentations on conservation of monuments and urban renewal at conferences in the Netherlands and in the Caribbean (Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten, Bonaire, Barbados, Trinidad, Suriname, Jamaica, Guyana and Havana). In 2015 he founded "Newton Heritage Consulting b.v.". A consultancy firm focused on the broad field of (world) heritage conservation and heritage education. In recent years Newton has worked as a heritage consultant in Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius, Suriname, Belize and the Bahamas.

 

Stephanie van Heijningen was born on Curaçao and raised on both Curaçao and Aruba. Having always had a keen interest in everything related to human behavior and cultural expression, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Leiden University and her master’s degree in Sociology of Arts and Culture at Erasmus University. Shortly after, she successfully completed the post graduate course Urban Heritage Strategies provided by the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS). Stephanie currently works as a freelance researcher and heritage consultant on Curaçao and has taken on projects for i.a., Human Rights Defense Curaçao, Algemeen Pensioenfonds Curaçao, and the University of Curaçao, where she is also a guest lecturer. Stephanie is a council member of the UNESCO Commission Curaçao. 

 

Ir. Gabriela Jimenez' passion is to seek a synergetic built environment and enable ideas to transform into actionable plans and tangible realities. As a managing director of MUMA Consultancy, she is continuously aiming to provide urbanists, developers, architects, and investors with a complete service that seamlessly integrates all resources and knowledge within the pre-development phase. This multi-management approach assists in guiding the many stakeholders involved in urban projects. Providing a framework for achieving user engagement, and sustainable developments through inclusive urban strategies, such as placemaking. Being raised in diverse multicultural environments has always made Gabriela curious about how cities evolve with cultural trends. She was born in Colombia and later moved to the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao, where she was raised. Gabriela feels a sense of responsibility to apply the knowledge she has learned abroad back on the island. The diverse cultures and environments of each place had their own unique atmosphere and feeling, leaving a profound impact on her. This inspired Gabriela to pursue her bachelor’s study in architecture and later on a larger urban scale during in her master’s track of Management of the Built environment at the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands.

Trained as a conservation architect at the Technical University of Delft, Nanette de Jong has always worked in the field of architectural conservation. As a self-employed architect, in an architectural firm and for government organizations. Both in the Netherlands and abroad. Since 2009 she works as an heritage advisor at RCE, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands. The RCE is both the execution organization of the Ministry of OCW and the knowledge institute in the Netherlands for cultural heritage  (Monuments, Historic Landscapes, (Underwater) Archeology and Museum collections). At RCE she is also the contact person for the Caribbean Region. 

To register for this online event, please send an email to: lezingen@icomos.nl