National Register of Historic Places
La Fortaleza
La Fortaleza is a historic place in San Juan, San Juan County, Puerto Rico, listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966, and designated a National Historic Landmark. Its National Register reference number is 66000951.
Location 01
La Fortaleza
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About this place
What is La Fortaleza?
La Fortaleza, also known as the Palacio de Santa Catalina, is the official residence and workplace of the Governor of Puerto Rico. Located in the historic quarter of Old San Juan in the capital city and municipality of San Juan, it has housed the governor since the 16th century, making it the oldest executive seat in continuous use in the New World. Built as a medieval fortress from 1533 to 1540 by orders of King Charles I of Spain and remodeled to its present Neoclassical style in 1846 by orders of Governor Rafael Arístegui, it was the first fortification erected by the Spanish on San Juan Islet to defend San Juan Bay, the harbor of Old San Juan. Alongside El Morro, San Cristóbal, and other forts part of the Walls of Old San Juan, it protected strategically and militarily important Puerto Rico, or La Llave de las Indias, from invasions by competing world powers and raids from privateers and pirates during the Age of Discovery and Sail. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1983.
Source: Wikipedia, text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
Listing details
- Name
- La Fortaleza
- City
- San Juan
- County
- San Juan County
- State
- Puerto Rico
- Listed on the National Register
- October 15, 1966
- NRIS reference number
- 66000951
- Resource type
- building
- National Historic Landmark
- Yes
- Coordinates
- 18.46653, -66.11883
When was La Fortaleza listed on the National Register?
La Fortaleza was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
Where is La Fortaleza located?
La Fortaleza is located in San Juan, San Juan County, Puerto Rico at approximately 18.46653, -66.11883. See the map above.
Is La Fortaleza a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. La Fortaleza is designated a National Historic Landmark, the highest federal recognition for a historic place.
Nearby on the register
More historic places in Puerto Rico
- Puerto Rico Ilustrado--Edificio El Mundo
- Edificio Patio Espanol
- US Custom House
- Distrito Historico del Viejo San Juan--Old San Juan Historic District (Boundary Increase)
- US Post Office and Courthouse
- San Juan National Historic Site
- Faro de Morro
- Antiguo Casino de Puerto Rico
- Biblioteca Carnegie
- Casa de Espana
- Superintendent of Lighthouses' Dwelling
- School of Tropical Medicine