Viejo San Juan — Puerto Rico Historic Buildings Drawings Society

Casa de España

 

Casa España

Avenida Constitución
Puerta de Tierra
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Designed by Pedro de Castro (1932)

The Casa de España was built in 1932 to act as the business front for a private civic and cultural organization. The organization was made up mostly of Spanish citizens who lived in Puerto Rico at the time and this is clearly reflected in the choice to make use of Spanish Moorish architecture.

The building was designed by Pedro de Castro, a Puerto Rican architect, who made good use of various elements of Spanish Moorish architecture in his design. Apart from the obvious architectural embellishments, de Castro also used towers, an interior courtyard gallery and a lot of colored tiles to complete his design.

The building has certainly served its purpose well as it is today still used as the headquarters of the organization for which it was originally built. This organization has played a large role in the preservation of the country’s Spanish cultural heritage over the years and its members today continue to be people of Spanish descent.