Nieuwe Doelenstraat

Nieuwe Doelenstraat is famous as the site of the Musketeers’ Meeting Hall (Kloveniersdoelen), where Rembrandt’s Night Watch was first commissioned and displayed from 1642 to 1715. Today this narrow street in the inner city connects key destinations, including Amsterdam’s prestigious Hotel de l’Europe, the Grand Café De Jaren and the University of Amsterdam’s (UvA) Theatre and Institute for Theatre Studies. The photo comparison illustrates how by restricting parking space, this street now feels more like an urban living room than a parking lot. The current design resonates with Brent Toderian’s concept of “sticky streets” – places that make people want to linger, even as cars are not banned completely.

Nieuwe Doelenstraat 1981 (Amsterdam Archives) & 2014 (Thomas Schlijper)