Groot Kwartier

Groot Kwartier is a neighbourhood of Willemstad, Curaçao. It is better known as Emmastad, a villa ward built by Royal Dutch Shell for its employees. Emmastad is officially part of Groot Kwartier.[3]

Groot Kwartier
Emmastad
Neighbourhood
Church in Emmastad (1940s)
Church in Emmastad (1940s)
Groot Kwartier is located in Curaçao
Groot Kwartier
Groot Kwartier
Location in Curaçao
Coordinates: 12.1365°N 68.9138°W / 12.1365; -68.9138
StateKingdom of the Netherlands
CountryCuraçao
CityWillemstad
Area
[1]
 • Total2.42 km2 (0.93 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total2,611
 • Density1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)

History

Groot Kwartier started as a plantation in 1694. The plantation produced bananas, divi-divi and livestock, but was mainly known for its large fresh water supply.[4] In 1915, the nearby plantation Asiento was bought by Royal Dutch Shell. Initially the grounds were used as a harbour. In 1923, neighbourhoods were built on Groot Kwartier to house employees hired from other Caribbean islands. In 1929, the area owned by Shell was renamed Emmastad.[5]

Between 1945 and 1955, Emmastad was enlarged with residential neighbourhoods for the Dutch employees of Royal Dutch Shell.[6] The houses constructed during that period, were luxurious free standing villas.[6] Emmastad was a segregated and gated community where blacks and coloureds were only allowed entry with a special pass.[7] In the 1960s, Shell started selling the houses.[8] Emmastad is no longer segregated, and has become a popular neighbourhood for the middle class, however the older parts of Groot Kwartier are poorer.[9]

References
  1. Buurtprofiel Groot Kwartier 2011, p. 12.
  2. "Census 2011". Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  3. Buurtprofiel Groot Kwartier 2011, p. 8.
  4. Buurtprofiel Groot Kwartier 2011, p. 10.
  5. "Olie als water". Curaçao Maritime (in Dutch). pp. 1–2.
  6. "Ontwikkeling huisvesting op Curaçao door Shell". National Archive of Curaçao (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  7. Anil Ramdas (1992). De papegaai, de stier en de klimmende bougainvillea. Amsterdam: De Bezige Bij. p. 120. ISBN 90 234 3282 7.
  8. Buurtprofiel Groot Piscadera (2011). "Buurtprofiel Groot Piscadera" (PDF). Government of Curaçao (in Dutch). p. 13. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  9. Buurtprofiel Groot Kwartier 2011, p. 11.

Bibliography
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