Condado is an
oceanfront, tree-lined, pedestrian-oriented upper middle to upper class community in
Santurce. It is one of the forty
subbarrios of Santurce in
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Setting
Condado is an upscale neighborhood located on the
beach
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shells ...
.
It is located east of the historic colonial barrio of
Old San Juan
Old San Juan ( es, Viejo San Juan) is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the islet of San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Catedral, Marina, Mercado, San Cristóbal, and San Francisco sub-barrios ( ...
. It is one of 40 subbarrios of Santurce. The land area measures with a resident population of 6,170 according to the
2000 United States Census
The United States census of 2000, conducted by the United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people en ...
.
The eastern border is marked by De Diego Avenue and its straight extension towards the Atlantic coast. On the south, the subbarrio is bounded by Wilson Street, Aldea Street, Expreso Baldorioty de Castro, Piccioni Street and Delcasse Street, and by the
Condado Lagoon (from east to west). At the westernmost point is the
Dos Hermanos Bridge, where Ashford Avenue ends and leads into Old San Juan. In the north are the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean next to hotels and other attractions such as nightclubs, casinos, shops and restaurants. Condado is one of the island's primary tourist destinations.
In recent years, El Condado neighborhood has become associated with wealth and status. Properties are scarce, hard to come by and extremely expensive. It is sometimes called the “Manhattan of Puerto Rico” and properties tend to hover in the millions of dollars. It is one of the most desirable places to live on the island and as such commands a premium.
20th century
Condado began its process of urbanization in 1908 by two American industrialists,
Hernan and
Sosthenes
Sosthenes (Greek: Σωσθένης, ''Sōsthénēs'', "safe in strength") was the chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth, who, according to the Acts of the Apostles, was seized and beaten by the mob in the presence of Gallio, the Roman governor, ...
, also known as the Behn Brothers. The quarter became a typical
streetcar suburb to the traditional urban center of Old San Juan. Its growth and development was mostly shaped by a
transportation influenced suburbanization developed on a
grid plan.
The neighborhood experienced an
economic boom
An economic expansion is an increase in the level of economic activity, and of the goods and services available. It is a period of economic growth as measured by a rise in real GDP. The explanation of fluctuations in aggregate economic activity ...
in the first decades of the 20th century when some of the wealthiest families built their homes in the area. The
Vanderbilts
The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthr ...
built a summer home in 1919 which today has been converted into the luxurious
Condado Vanderbilt Hotel
The Condado Vanderbilt Hotel is a historic luxury hotel built in 1919 and located on Ashford Avenue in the district of Condado in San Juan, capital city of the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. It was listed on the National Register of Histor ...
. The Behn Brothers also built their home in Condado and to their memory,
Dos Hermanos Bridge (or "Two Brothers Bridge" in English) is named in their honor as founders of
Puerto Rico Telephone
Claro Puerto Rico is one of the largest telecommunications services company in Puerto Rico. It is headquartered in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and has operated for almost a century offering voice, data, long distance, broadband, directory publishing ...
and the new electric
tramway line that linked ''the county'' to Old San Juan.
The 1950s-60s era saw another boom in Condado, with the rapid industrialization of
Puerto Rico, this flamboyant locale was becoming a popular tourist destination. Large hotels like the
Caribe Hilton Hotel and
La Concha Resort
La Concha Renaissance San Juan Resort, also known as La Concha Resort, is a historic luxury resort located at the Condado oceanfront within the district of Santurce in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
History
The La Concha Hotel opened in December 19 ...
were built as part of a government sponsorship program under the
Operation Bootstrap
Operation Bootstrap ( es, Operación Manos a la Obra) is the name given to a series of projects which transformed the economy of Puerto Rico into an industrial and developed one. The federal government of the United States together with what is ...
brand.
A convention center was built to host activities while many families began to move in during the development of high-end and high-rise apartment buildings. In fact, Ashford Avenue was named after another well-known ''Condado'' resident Dr.
Bailey Ashford. It runs through the subbarrio and leads toward the Puente Dos Hermanos.
Demographics
In 2010, Condado had a population of 4,908 and a population density of 15,832.3 persons per square mile.
21st century
Condado looks quite different from what it did at the turn of the century. Some of the luxurious homes which still remain nestled between the high-rise condominiums have been converted into small inns, shops, museums or restaurants. Dr.
Bailey Ashford's home has been remodeled and there are plans to turn it into a museum. Condado's main public space is
La Ventana al Mar, designed by architect and urbanist
Andrés Mignucci. The park is flanked by two of Condado's landmark hotels: to the west by the
Condado Vanderbilt Hotel
The Condado Vanderbilt Hotel is a historic luxury hotel built in 1919 and located on Ashford Avenue in the district of Condado in San Juan, capital city of the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. It was listed on the National Register of Histor ...
(1919), designed by Warren and Whitmore, and to the east by the La Concha Hotel (1957), designed by
Toro Ferrer
Toro y Ferrer was an architectural firm and one of the principal exponents of Puerto Rico's tropical modernism. Founded in 1945 by Osvaldo Toro FAIA (1914–1995), Miguel Ferrer FAIA (1914–2005) and Luis Torregrosa Casellas, the firm designed s ...
.
One of the first schools constructed by the United States is in Condado. Designed by
Antonin Nechodoma
Antonin Nechodoma (1877–1928), was a Czech architect who practiced in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic from 1905 to 1928. He is known for the introduction of the Prairie Style to the Caribbean and the integration of Arts and Crafts elements to ...
, it was designated as a historic site in November 2020 by the
Puerto Rico Planning Board
The Puerto Rico Planning Board ( es, Junta de Planificación) created in the May 12, 1942 during Rexford G. Tugwell's governorship as the Puerto Rico Planning, Urbanization, and Zoning Board, is the only Government of Puerto Rico, government agen ...
.
Public transportation
Condado is served by the
Puerto Rico Metropolitan Bus Authority
The Autoridad Metropolitana de Autobuses (AMA, English: Puerto Rico Metropolitan Bus Authority) is a government-owned corporation and public transport bus service based in the San Juan metropolitan area. It is part of the Puerto Rico Department ...
with two bus routes: T21 and D53.
Gallery
Highrise on Ashford Avenue, Condado, Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico.jpg, Building on Ashford Ave.
Playa del Hotel La Concha, San Juan, Puerto Rico.jpg, Playa del Hotel La Concha
Condado Beach.jpg, Beach chairs and people on Condado Beach
La Ventana al Mar 07.jpg,
Hotel La Concha.jpg, Hotel La Concha,
a Renaissance resort
Aerial_View_of_Condado_San_Juan.jpg, Aerial view
See also
*
Condado Beach
*
List of communities in Puerto Rico
References
External links
*
{{coord, 18, 27, 23, N, 66, 04, 16, W, source:kolossus-eswiki, display=title
Streetcar suburbs
Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico