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38-544: Galería Nacional (National Gallery) located in Old San Juan within the historic colonial section of the capital of Puerto Rico , houses the largest collection of Puerto Rican paintings from the eighteenth century to the 1960s. The museum is located in the restored Saint Aquinas monastery of the Dominican Order . The monastery along with the adjoining San José Church is one of the first significant works of architecture on

76-428: A free trolley provided limited service to Old San Juan seven days a week but is not available any longer. People get around the city on foot or by car. There have been plans to turn the historic district into a pedestrian-only zone , and to either rebuild the trolley system or build a new light-rail train system in the recent years. Old San Juan is the setting for films, books, song lyrics and music videos, including

114-449: A local civic leader who had successfully prevented the demolition of the Capilla del Cristo in favor of a traffic redesign. He advised mayor Rincón de Gautier in having local zoning laws changed to favor remodeling and the incorporation of Spanish colonial motifs in any new construction. This helped preserve the city's architectural profile, and has been a key to San Juan's current status as

152-409: A name that evoked that of a similar geographical harbor in the island of Gran Canaria , Canary Islands . In 1521, the name "San Juan" was added, and the newer settlement was given its formal name of "San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico", following the usual custom of christening the town with both its formal name and the name which Christopher Columbus had originally given the islands, honoring John

190-444: A neighborhood of Old San Juan and its reputation has recently transformed from a dangerous place into a cultural hub. It has appeared on films, literature, TV shows and music videos . With its abundance of shops, historic places, museums, open air cafés, restaurants, colorful homes, tree-shaded plazas, and its old beauty and architectural peculiarity, Old San Juan is a main spot for domestic and international tourism. The district

228-509: A plan to travel to a hard to reach, secret place in order to excavate and find gold for themselves and their own fortunes. Immediately upon finding a large piece of gold that they had originally agreed to share, their friendship was tested. In conniving to keep the gold, Orozco used fake dice, but then suffered a bad fall. Days later, when his friend Guilarte finally returned with help, Orozco lay dying, and confessed to having used fake dice and asked his friend for forgiveness. Sierra de Orozco ,

266-587: A project proposal suggested that the old Carmelite Convent in San Juan be demolished to erect a new hotel, the Institute had the building declared a historic building, and asked that it be converted to a hotel in a renewed facility. As in other Operation Bootstrap projects, the Woolworth family was invited in 1957 to reconstruct the former convent (which had more recently been a low-rent apartment building and city garage) into

304-499: A promontory ( morro ) about 100 feet (30 m) high, at the west end of the island and commanding the entrance to the harbor, rise the battlements of Fort San Felipe del Morro , and its lighthouse . The San Antonio Channel ( Caño de San Antonio ) lies to the southeast, where the island of Old San Juan connects to the mainland through Santurce , by three bridges: Dos Hermanos ( Ashford Avenue ), G. Esteves ( Ponce de León Avenue ) and San Antonio ( Fernández Juncos Avenue ). The city

342-504: A resolution promoting the city expansion across the Puerta de Tierra which included the plan for demolishing the city walls along the eastern side. On May 28, 1897, the wall demolition was officially started after a proclamation was issued by Queen Maria Christina . By the year 1899, the population of Puerta de Tierra had risen to 5,453; while the area comprising the old walled city had a civilian population of roughly 18,103 inhabitants. During

380-403: A tourist destination. Luis Muñoz Marín , as a senator and later as governor of Puerto Rico, supported and implemented what became known as Operation Bootstrap , which included the development of the tourism industry. In 1948 the government invited one of the organizers of Colonial Williamsburg to lead its tourism development efforts. These efforts were further supported by the 1955 creation of

418-521: Is Castillo San Felipe del Morro, a fort built by the Spaniards when settled on the Island. Besides the magnificent fort, tourists are drawn to La Perla , a colorful neighborhood outside of the historic city wall. Old San Juan is one of the two barrios , in addition to Santurce , that made up the municipality of San Juan after 1864 and prior to 1951, in which the former independent municipality of Río Piedras

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456-628: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Old San Juan Old San Juan is the oldest settlement within Puerto Rico and the historic colonial district of the city of San Juan. This historic district is a Puerto Rico Registered Historic Zone and a National Historic Landmark District , Old San Juan Historic District , and is also listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places . Several historical buildings and structures, particularly La Fortaleza ,

494-460: Is characterized by its narrow, blue cobblestone streets, and flat-roofed brick and stone buildings, which date back to the 16th and 17th centuries—when Puerto Rico was a Spanish possession. Near Fort San Felipe del Morro, is the Casa Blanca , a palace built on land which belonged to the family of Ponce de León . In 1508, Juan Ponce de León founded the original settlement, Caparra (named after

532-556: Is characterized by numerous public plazas, which are filled with local shops that sell traditional craftwork, sculptures and typical musical instruments. Moreover, Old San Juan is known for its historical churches, such as San José Church and the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista , which contains the tomb of the Spanish explorer and first European to discover modern day Florida , Juan Ponce de León . Tourists' main spot to visit at Old San Juan

570-474: Is now the capital of Puerto Rico: San Juan . According to Floyd, "Ponce built the only stone house in the village, which for years functioned additionally as the Casa de Contratación , the archive, and the arsenal." It became his permanent home, where he was joined by his family in 1509. The Caparra Site was first identified as important during a survey in 1936, as part of a program to develop tourist facilities on

608-596: The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture ( Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña ) head by Alegría. He sought legal and administrative changes that would allow for major remodeling efforts to be successful. At the time, most real estate in Old San Juan had devalued under appraised values because the city was perceived as unsafe (particularly because of building disrepair and social ills such as prostitution ) and not profitable for business (because of rent control statutes, as well as

646-537: The Province of Cáceres , Spain , birthplace of the then-governor of Spain's Caribbean territories, Nicolás de Ovando ). The ruins of Caparra are known as the Pueblo Viejo sector of Guaynabo , behind the almost land-locked harbor just to the west of the present San Juan metropolitan area. In 1509, the settlement was abandoned and moved to a site which was called at the time "Puerto Rico" (meaning "rich port" or "good port"),

684-695: The Zona Antigua Histórica Casco de San Juan ( English : Historic Old Town Area of San Juan). In 1972, the same area was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places as the San Juan Historic Zone ( Spanish : Zona Histórica de San Juan ). In 2012, the National Register increased the boundaries and renamed the district to Old San Juan Historic District ( Spanish : Distrito Histórico del Viejo San Juan ). Old San Juan

722-554: The city walls , and El Morro and San Cristóbal castles, have been inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list since 1983. Historically the mixed-use commercial and residential real estate in the main street s of Calle Cristo and Calle Fortaleza from Calle Tanca to the Governor’s Mansion is the most valuable in the area and it has kept its value and increased steadily through several years despite

760-415: The 19th century, the area outside the city walls occupying the east side of Old San Juan Island, was almost uninhabited. In 1838 the so-called area of Puerta de Tierra (or "Land Gate") had a population of 168 residents, mainly of African descent. According to a census made in 1846, the population had risen to 223 inhabitants living in 58 houses. On March 3, 1865, the municipal government of San Juan approved

798-610: The Baptist . Constructed in 1521, Casa Blanca served as the first fortification of the settlement and residence of Juan Ponce de León descendants, until the mid-eighteenth century. La Fortaleza was built between 1533 and 1540, which was followed by the construction of a battery at "the Morro." Plans for the castle portion of San Felipe del Morro were made in 1584. Extensions to the Morro, plus construction of El Cañuelo , and El Boquerón , were made between 1599 and 1609. Circumvallation of

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836-442: The city commenced in 1630 and was concluded by 1641. San Cristobal fort was completed by 1771. By 1776, the population totaled 6000, half of which were soldiers. The garrison town of San Juan included 250 acres of military installations and 62 acres of public and private use. By 1781, the city's fortifications included 376 cannon. By 1876, 24,000 lived inside the walls of San Juan, encompassing 62 acres, and 926 buildings. Prior to

874-470: The executive mansion for the Governor of Puerto Rico . Many of the historic fortifications are part of San Juan National Historic Site . Old San Juan's land area roughly correlates to the following subbarrios of barrio San Juan Antiguo: Ballajá, Catedral, Marina, Mercado, San Cristóbal, and San Francisco. Old San Juan is the location for one of two transportation hubs serving Metropolitan San Juan. At one time,

912-521: The following: Caparra Archaeological Site Caparra is an archaeological site in the municipality of Guaynabo in northeastern Puerto Rico. Declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1994, the site contains the remains of the first European settlement and capital of the main island of Puerto Rico, specifically the foundations of the residence of Juan Ponce de León , the first European conquistador and governor of Puerto Rico. Settled in 1508 and officially abandoned in 1521, it represents

950-404: The island. Preliminary excavations spearheaded by Puerto Rico's fifth official historian, Adolfo de Hostos , in 1936 and 1937, identified a large tapia structure, bisected by a two-lane highway, that matched de León's description of his own residence, the only non-wooden structure in the settlement. Further excavation identified the main plaza and the sites of other buildings. The property

988-401: The island. The museum's holdings include many important works by José Campeche , Francisco Oller , Ramón Frade , and Rafael Tufiño . The museum is administered by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture . 18°28′4″N 66°7′7″W  /  18.46778°N 66.11861°W  / 18.46778; -66.11861 This article about a Puerto Rican building or structure related topic

1026-402: The late 1940s, disrepair in the old city was evident. The local authorities were considering development proposals for renovating the old city and incorporating modern architecture on new constructions. Anthropologist Ricardo Alegría vehemently advised against the idea of demolishing old colonial buildings in favor of contemporary building designs. He followed the example suggested by his father,

1064-467: The luxury Hotel El Convento . The Bank provided low interest loans to remodelers, and the government gave triple tax exemptions to commercial activities in the old city (they were exempted for a limited time, not only from property taxes and municipal taxes, but from income tax from activities generated in their properties as well). At least one retailer from the shopping district in Charlotte Amalie

1102-648: The oldest known European settlement in the United States . The site is on the grounds of the Museo de la Conquista y Colonización (Museum of the Conquest and Colonization of Puerto Rico), which features artifacts from the area and other archaeological sites in Puerto Rico. In 1508, Juan Ponce de León founded the original Spanish settlement in Puerto Rico at Caparra, named after the abandoned ancient Roman village of Cáparra in

1140-458: The past economic turmoils. Old San Juan is located on a small and narrow island which lies along the north coast, about 35 miles (56 km) from the east end of Puerto Rico, and is connected to the mainland of Puerto Rico by three bridges. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and to the south by San Juan Bay ( Bahia de San Juan )—which lies between the city and the mainland. On

1178-492: The province of Cáceres , Spain, the birthplace of then-governor of Spain's Caribbean territories Nicolás de Ovando ., Today it is known as the Pueblo Viejo barrio of Guaynabo , just to the west of the present San Juan metropolitan area. The air was not wholesome and the mendicant friars insisted on moving the settlement closer to the bay and to the sea. They complained that the infants were dying. Their preferred area

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1216-604: The reluctance of commercial banks to fund remodeling). Under combined efforts by the institute and the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico, "model" remodelings were made to show potential property owners how their renewed properties could look. Strict remodeling codes were implemented to prevent new constructions from affecting the common colonial Spanish architectural themes of the old city. As with other Operation Bootstrap projects, mainland corporate investors were lured in with tax breaks and other incentives. When

1254-704: Was acquired by the Puerto Rican government in 1948, which relocated the northern section of the house ruins in order to widen the road. The roadway was again widened in 1963, destroying the southern portion of the structure excavated in 1936. The museum was established in 1958; the site continues to be examined by archaeologists. A story from 1530 says that two Spanish men, Diego Ramos de Orozco and Diego Guilarte de Salazar, were living in Caparra and searching for gold in Puerto Rico's rivers, for Spain. They each had at their disposal 40 Taíno slaves . Good friends, they elaborated

1292-479: Was annexed. The oldest parts of the district of Old San Juan remain partly enclosed by massive walls. Several defensive structures and notable forts, such as the Fort San Felipe del Morro , Castle of San Cristóbal , and el Palacio de Santa Catalina (also known as La Fortaleza ), acted as the primary defense of the settlement which has been subjected to numerous attacks. La Fortaleza continues to serve also as

1330-479: Was established in 1949 to preserve historic fortifications in Old San Juan and the National Register of Historic Places listed it in 1966. Both that site and La Fortaleza ( English : The Fortress ) were then declared a single World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983. In 1951, the broader area within the old city walls became the first listing of the Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones as

1368-731: Was given incentives to set up shop in the Calle del Cristo (the city's red light district during the early 1940s) in order to persuade other retailers to follow suit and somehow "clean up" the district. Potential developers were offered sketches of their properties after a remodeling, as to suggest which architectural elements to improve or change. The paradigm to reconstruct and renovate the old city and revitalize it has been followed by other cities in Latin America, particularly Havana , Lima and Cartagena de Indias . The San Juan National Historic Site ( Spanish : Sitio Histórico Nacional de San Juan )

1406-534: Was that of the Islet of Puerto Rico ("rich port" or "good port"), because of its similar geographical features to the island of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands . It was not until the end of Ponce de León's tenure as governor that they had their wish. By 1521, the move was complete and it was known as "Villa de Puerto Rico." With time the name of the island, San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico , traded places with what

1444-409: Was then designated a National Historic Landmark District in 2013. La Perla (Spanish for the pearl ) is a former shanty town or informal settlement located along the northern section of the historic San Juan city walls. Originally the site of slaughterhouses, the area was later settled by freed slaves and non-white servants in the 18th century. In the 20th century the community grew to become

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