Puerta de Tierra, San Juan


Puerta de Tierra is a subbarrio occupying the eastern portion of the barrio of San Juan Antiguo in the municipality of San Juan in Puerto Rico. On October 15, 2019, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, to be included with the Old San Juan Historic District.

History

The United States took control of Puerto Rico from Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898. In 1899, the United States conducted its first census of Puerto Rico, finding that the population of Puerta de Tierra was 5,453.

Cityscape

Puerta de Tierra conforms the eastern portion of the Islet of San Juan and its connected to the mainland by bridges and a causeway. Puerta de Tierra is the site of many of Puerto Rico's government buildings. With a 2000 census population of 4,135 and a land area of 0.60 sq. miles, Puerta de Tierra is the largest and most populous subbarrio of San Juan Antiguo barrio.
In October 2017, Puerta de Tierra won an award from the International Union of Architects, a non-governmental body based in Switzerland which represents the world's architects. Puerta de Tierra was awarded "best public spaces".

National Register of Historic Places

On October 15, 2019, Puerta de Tierra was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places. According to Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día, Bibiana Hernández had worked for decades to have Puerta de Tierra added to the US National Register of Historic Places and was overjoyed at the news. Many people such as artist and community spokesman, Jesús “Bubu” Negrón, have worked along with Arleen Pabón-Charneco, a Puerto Rican architect and author of the NRHP nomination forms, to bring more visibility to the area.
The community expressed concerns saying the area was starting to experience gentrification. This designation now makes the entire Isleta de San Juan a historic district, along with the Old San Juan Historic District and the designation should make it easier to prioritize its care with federal funds for these purposes. There were already thirteen structures in Puerta de Tierra on the NRHP, including El Falansterio, the Brambaugh school and the José Celso Barbosa school.
There is a phrase seen on murals around Puerta de Tierra that says Aquí vive gente and the community has been planning to create a museum about Puerta de Tierra.

Attractions

Hotels and Beaches

Federal Government of the United States