From Classroom to Cityscape: Exploring Medieval Architecture in NYC

Students in Eduardo Jose “EJ” Hernandez’s Medieval Spanish History course recently traded their classroom discussions for an immersive experience in New York City, where history came to life beyond the pages of their textbooks. Their journey took them to the Museum at Eldridge Street and Central Synagogue, two iconic landmarks showcasing the rich influence of Moorish Revival architecture.

 

At the Museum at Eldridge Street—a National Historic Landmark dating back to 1887—students explored the first grand synagogue built in the United States by Eastern European Jewish immigrants, gaining a deeper appreciation for the intersection of history, culture, and design.

 

 

“It combines the rich history of the early Jewish community in New York with the Moorish Revival architecture of the late 19th century,” Hernandez says. “It is modeled after a synagogue in Budapest.”

 

Hernandez teaches in both the History and Religion and Philosophy Departments, with this course being an interdisciplinary offering that focuses on the role of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in Spanish history, from the end of Antiquity to early Modern Spain.

 

“I really enjoyed our visit to the synagogues in New York,” said Fifth Former Gavin Yoon. “The interior was especially amazing and this trip expanded my knowledge on Medieval Spanish architecture as well as Judaism.”

 

“The course not only engages our students’ ability to research and critically engage primary source texts,” he says, “but it also asks them to imagine the conditions of possibility of Medieval Iberia and to place themselves in the history - so they can create art, poetry, and prose that is representative of this rich historical era.”

In addition to writing two research papers, students create a architectural project using generative AI; a poetry project where students explain and create poetry modeled after the great works of Medieval Jewish poets; and a Mystical Epistles project where students write an imagined letter between themselves and a classmate modeled after the religious communications of Iberian Mystics from all three faiths.

 

Visits to see the type of architecture covered in the class give students an enhanced perspective on the subject they are studying. The class is also scheduled to attend a concert at Princeton University this month by the Grenada-based Firdaus Ensemble, who perform classical Arabic poetry and music.

“Outside of visiting Spain, which we did last summer via the Harkness Travel Program - the synagogues allow students to experience Moorish-style religious spaces in the continental United States,” Hernandez says. “Visiting these beautiful religious spaces brings history to life in a way that videos and photos cannot.”