Casa Blanca is a house

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

located in

Old San Juan Old San Juan ( es, Viejo San Juan) is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the Isleta de San Juan, islet of San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Old San Juan, Ballajá, Catedral, Old San Juan, Catedral, Ma ...

within the historic colonial section of the capital of

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

History

Built in 1521, it served as the first fortification of the San Juan islet. It was the residence for

Juan Ponce de León Juan Ponce de León (, , , ; 1474 – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and '' conquistador'' known for leading the first official European expedition to Florida and for serving as the first governor of Puerto Rico. He was born in Santervá ...

and his family, and also his cousins, although de Leon died in an expedition to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

without ever getting to occupy the structure. It was used as the residence of his descendants, until the mid-18th century. As a fortification it served mostly as a refuge in times of attack from Taino rebels. The short rebellion ended peacefully after a commission of Caciques (Chieftains) negotiated peace. The house was built in wood but was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in stone and masonry. Casa Blanca, it was the first governor's residence in PR when the capital was moved to the Islet of San Juan in 1521. Refurbished along 500 years it was the governors' residence until the mid 1700s when the Castle-Fortress of St. Catherine was modernised and became an actual residence-Palace then re-christened Royal Site of the Palace of St. Catherine of Siena. After the governor's moved to the end of the street, to Fortaleza, Casa Blanca, with beautiful Canary Islands-style balconies and verandas held the Royal Artillery Officer's Brotherhood (Real Cofradía de Artillería) as well as being the Official See for the Guards de Corps, for the Spanish Orders of Chivalry: Santiago, Calatrava, Montesa and Alcántara; for the military knights' i.e. San Hermenegildo, the Sovereign Order of St.John of Malta and the Pontificial Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. It was increasingly in disuse until after World War II. It was rescued by the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture. The surrounding gardens were planted by Gen.Brooks the first American Military governor of the island in the 20th century.Old Walls, New Spirit
''The New York Times''. November 11, 2007 In 1967, the complex was transferred to the government of Puerto Rico and declared a historical monument. In 1981, it was recorded in the

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

. Today, the house is a museum of 16th and 17th century artifacts managed by the

Institute of Puerto Rican Culture The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture ( es, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña), or ICP, for short, is an institution of the Government of Puerto Rico responsible for the establishment of the cultural policies required in order to study, preser ...

.Museo de Casa Blanca
Institute of Puerto Rican Culture

References

External links

photos, video and museum information

{{coord, 18, 27, 59, N, 66, 07, 12, W, display=title Old San Juan, Puerto Rico Historic house museums in Puerto Rico Museums in San Juan, Puerto Rico Spanish Colonial architecture in Puerto Rico Houses completed in 1521 Official residences in Puerto Rico 16th-century establishments in Puerto Rico 1521 establishments in New Spain Juan Ponce de León

History

See also

References

External links