Even though New York City started its story as New Amsterdam, there is very little of the old Dutch town left to see. Through the years, the Dutch-looking houses perished or simply were replaced by newer structures.
However, a small remnant
Even though New York City started its story as New Amsterdam, there is very little of the old Dutch town left to see. Through the years, the Dutch-looking houses perished or simply were replaced by newer structures.
However, a small remnant of the old Dutch tradition can still be found in front of the house at 4 Gramercy Park West—in the form of two lanterns. When a mayor of a 17th-century Dutch city would return home after a long day, he would be accompanied by guards carrying lit-up lanterns. These lanterns were then left in front of the house to indicate that the mayor was in fact home. According to some sources, this was done to make sure rowdy citizens would not disturb the mayor’s sleep so that he could come back to governing feeling fully refreshed. Another plausible reason was that the mayor could easily be found day and night: his house had lamps in front of it and if they were lit, he was home!
The two lamps in front of 4 Gramercy Park West are a nod to this very tradition. Ev