Old San Juan

Old San Juan
Viejo San Juan
Historic district
Aerial view of Castillo San Felipe del Morro and Old San Juan
Aerial view of Castillo San Felipe del Morro and Old San Juan
Nickname: 
La Ciudad Amurallada (The Walled City)
Satellite image of Old San Juan within San Juan Antiguo alongside Santurce
Satellite image of Old San Juan within San Juan Antiguo alongside Santurce
Location of Old San Juan within San Juan Antiguo shown in yellow and San Juan shown in light grey
Location of Old San Juan within San Juan Antiguo shown in yellow and San Juan shown in light grey
Old San Juan is located in Puerto Rico
Old San Juan
Old San Juan
Location in Puerto Rico
Coordinates: 18°27′59″N 66°6′37″W / 18.46639°N 66.11028°W / 18.46639; -66.11028
Commonwealth Puerto Rico
MunicipalitySan Juan
Established1521[1]
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST (no daylight saving time))
ZIP codes
00901-02
Area code787, 939
Subbarrios (sub-wards)Ballajá, Catedral, Marina, Mercado, Puerta de Tierra, San Cristóbal, San Francisco
Websitewww.sanjuan.pr
Official nameLa Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico
TypeCultural
Criteriavi
Designated1983 (7th session)
Reference no.266
RegionThe Americas
Old San Juan Historic District
AreaNW triangle of the islet of San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Former nameSan Juan Historic Zone
NRHP reference No.72001553 (original)
12000465 (increase)
13000284 (landmark)
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 10, 1972
Boundary increaseJuly 30, 2012
Designated NHLDFebruary 27, 2013

Old San Juan (Spanish: Viejo San Juan) is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle"[2] of the islet of San Juan in San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Catedral, Marina, Mercado, San Cristóbal, and San Francisco sub-barrios (sub-districts) of barrio San Juan Antiguo in the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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.[3] Several historical buildings and structures, particularly La Fortaleza, the city walls, and El Morro and San Cristóbal castles, have been inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list since 1983.[4]

Historically the mixed-use commercial and residential real estate in the main streets 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 the past economic turmoils.

  1. ^ San Juan, Ciudad Capital. SanJuan.pr. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  2. ^ Rodriguez Morales, Luis M. (June 1971). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Zona Histórica de San Juan (San Juan Historic Zone)". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved September 23, 2024 – via National Archives.
  3. ^ "Registro de Propiedades Designadas por la Junta de Planificación de Puerto Rico" [Registry of Properties Designated by the Puerto Rico Planning Board] (PDF). Puerto Rico Planning Board (in Spanish). San Juan, Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones. December 7, 2022. p. 12. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  4. ^ "La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico". World Heritage Sites. Paris: UNESCO. 1983. #266. Retrieved September 23, 2024.