The San Germán Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

located in the western section of the town of

San Germán, Puerto Rico San Germán (, ) is a historic town and municipality located in the Sabana Grande Valley of southwestern region of Puerto Rico, south of Mayagüez and Maricao, north of Lajas, east of Hormigueros and Cabo Rojo, and west of Sabana Grande. San ...

. The district was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1994. The district contains more than 100 significant buildings, including the

Church San Germán de Auxerre Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

and the Convento de Porta Coeli.

History

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

colonists established La Villa de San Germán de Auxerre, also known as Nueva Salamanca, in the early years of the 16th century. The town of San Germán grew out of the settlement formally established in 1573, and it is this original urban core, transformed by rapid growth from the 1830s to the 1940s, that comprises the San Germán Historic District. The district includes numerous homes, among these the noted Victorian-style Juan Ortiz Perichi House on Luna Street, which architect Jorge Rigau once called "one of the best developed spatial sequences in residential architecture in Puerto Rico." Many notable Puerto Ricans came from the San Germán Historic District; among them was

Lola Rodríguez de Tió Lola Rodríguez de Tió,This name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name ''"Rodríguez"'' and the second or matrimonial family name is ''"Tió"''. (September 14, 1843 – November 10, 1924), was the first Puerto ...

, the well-known poet and pro-independence leader who wrote the lyrics to the revolutionary version of Puerto Rico's national anthem "

La Borinqueña "" (from the native name of Puerto Rico, ''Borinquen'' or ''Boriquen''), ) is the official anthem of Puerto Rico. After Puerto Rico became known as "The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" in 1952, the first elected governor, Luis Muñoz Marín, sig ...

". In late summer 1898, under the command of General Theodore Schwan, the United States Cavalry traveled through Luna Street, during the Spanish-American War, and Puerto Ricans welcomed the Americans in this district and in nearby Mayagüez, with flowers- believing in the promise of prosperity that would come under American rule. Despite wanting to spend the night in San Germán, the Americans decided to continue moving on, to battle the Spanish. The San Germán Historic District is roughly bounded by Luna, Estrella, Concepción, Javilla, and Ferrocarril Streets in the western section of the town. with

Landmarks and places of interest

Contributing Properties of the Historic District

* Church San Germán Auxerre of San Germán (

: ''Iglesia San Germán de Auxerre'') is the historic Roman Catholic parish church of San Germán. The original church was built in 1688 but was destroyed during several earthquakes throughout the town's history. The current church building dates to 1739 and it has been listed in the

since 1984. * Convent Ruins of Santo Domingo de Porta Coeli (Spanish: ''Convento de Santo Domingo de Porta Coeli''), or simply Porta Coeli, is one of the oldest church buildings in Puerto Rico and the Americas. Originally built in 1609 by the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

, the building now houses the Porta Coeli Museum of Religious Art. It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1976. * Jaime Acosta y Fores Residence (Spanish: ''Residencia Jaime Acosta y Flores''), located on 70 Dr. Santiago Veve Street, is a historic house dating to 1917 and considered a great example of the vernacular Criollo style of

Puerto Rican architecture Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

. It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1990. * Manzanares Creek Storm Sewer (Spanish: ''Alcantarilla Pluvial sobre la Quebrada Manzanares''), also known as the San Germán underground tunnels is a historic vaulted brick storm sewer system built in 1835. It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1990. * Ponce de León Family House (Spanish: ''Casa de los

Ponce de León Ponce may refer to: *Ponce (surname) * *Ponce, Puerto Rico, a city in Puerto Rico ** Ponce High School ** Ponce massacre, 1937 * USS ''Ponce'', several ships of the US Navy *Manuel Ponce, a Mexican composer active in the 20th century * British sla ...

'') is considered one of the oldest residence buildings in Puerto Rico built by the Ponce de León family. One of its most famous residents was poet and activist

(born Dolores Rodríguez de Astudillo y Ponce de León). It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1983.

Other landmarks and places of interest

* Alfredo Ramírez de Arellano y Rosell House (Spanish: ''Casa Alfredo Ramírez de Arellano y Rosell'') is a historic house museum located just outside the historic district. The museum is dedicated to the history of the town. * The old city hall of San Germán, located in the main town square, now houses the historic town's tourism information office. * San Germán History Museum (Spanish: ''Museo de la Historia de San Germán'', shortened ''MHISA'') dedicated to the history of San Germán and the surrounding region. * San Germán Masonic Lodge (Spanish: ''Logia Masónica de San Germán'') is a historic

masonic lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

with interesting

Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

. * San Germán Public Square (Spanish: ''Plaza Pública de San Germán''), formerly the

Plaza de Armas The ''Plaza de Armas'' (literally Weapons Square, but better translated as Parade Square or parade ground) is the name for Latin American main squares. In the central region of Mexico this space is known as El Zócalo and in Central America as ...

, is the main town square of San Germán and the site of the Church San Germán Auxerre of San Germán, the former city hall and other historical buildings. * Santo Domingo Square (Spanish: ''Plazuela Santo Domingo'') is a small historic square located across from Porta Coeli. The square is surrounded by historic houses and often hosts artisan fairs. * Teatro Sol (Spanish for "sun theater"), located in the main town square, is a historic theater dating to 1914. * The building of the old train station of San Germán is still preserved.

Gallery

File:Casa Morales Marco-San German,PR.jpg, Casa Morales Marco (c.1915) File:San German Historic District.jpg, Convento de Porta Coeli (c.1606) overlooks Plaza Francisco Servera Silva File:San Germán Auxerre.jpg,

overlooks Plaza Francisco Mariano Quiñones File:Tuneles de San German.jpg, Los Túneles subterráneos de San Germán, vaulted brick storm sewer system built in 1835 File:Residential building in San Germán, Puerto Rico.jpg, Historic residence in San Germán. File:LA BOTICA.jpg, Historic pharmacy in the historic district.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:San German Historic District Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico Historic districts in Puerto Rico San Germán, Puerto Rico Tourist attractions in Puerto Rico