On September 12, Dr. Laura Gorbea met with a group of young professionals from Rhode Island eager to explore the history of Old San Juan. Among them were architects, planners, engineers, and community outreach workers who, after celebrating Puerto Rican Independence Day in Providence, Rhode Island, decided to delve deeper, traveling to the island to see the Bad Bunny concert and take a tour specially designed for their diverse interests. The day trip was a celebration of PR PASS's past and present.
Connection with PR PASS
The request to serve as a guide came from one of our practice collaborators, Olaia, who was active in various projects during the 2020-2021 period. Olaia shared that her travels around the Island, witnessing the impact of community work, helped her deepen her commitment to her Island and Puerto Rican culture wherever she is. Today, Olaia is a music therapist in Rhode Island, where she also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Puerto Rican Professionals Association of Rhode Island (PRARI). For the second year in a row, they've sent us photos of the Puerto Rican Festival they organize in Providence every July. The festival welcomes nearly 7,000 people with music, food, and activities celebrating the island's culture. This year, they received recognition from the city for their contribution to the city's cultural life. When we see our collaborators actively celebrating the island's heritage, it fills us with pride.
The walk through Old San Juan highlighted a little bit of everything:
- Historical elements in the architecture - balconies characteristic of different centuries, changes in roofs and architectural details, width and height of buildings, airflow in colonial cities -
- Challenges of maintaining the historical character of lived colonial city that has private owners with varying economic resources.
- The co-creation of history through the use of cobblestones and varied narratives of their origin. The problem of cobblestone streets sinking. The changing of street names.
- We shared stories and legends as we came across la Capilla del Cristo, the Plaza de la Rogativa and walked by the fortified walls and reflected on the "Garita del Diablo".
- We discuss the history of public and private education reflected in different buildings in the city—from the small house at 315 Luna Street where Maestro Rafael Cordero lived and taught, the legacy of Celestina Cordero, the Center for Advanced Studies, the Carlos Albizu University, local charter schools, the Institute of Art and Design, and the Liga de Arte.
- We discussed how architecture in the Casa o Asilo de Beneficiencia (1844) cemented socio-demographic differences and inequality while providing social services
- A review of churches and traditions.
Thank you, Olaia, for the opportunity to greet you, celebrate your achievements, and welcome allies from the Puerto Rican community in Rhode Island.
Some references cited in our tour:
- Recommended: Puerto Rico Historic Building Drawings Society offers a great variety of fascinating tours.
- Alverio Ramos, Z. (2005). En búsqueda de la maestra Celestina Cordero Molina dentro de la memoria social de Puerto Rico (Doctoral dissertation, Universidad de Puerto Rico)
- Niell, Paul Barrett. 2024. Designed Segregation: Racial Space and Social Reform in San Juan’s Casa de Beneficencia. Arts 13: 147. https://doi.org/10.3390/arts13050147)
- Sánchez Celada, M. (2021). Desarrollo urbanístico del viejo San Juan. Puerto Rico. Boletín de la RSG, 156, 173-201.
- Picó, F. (1993). Ritos de Reclusión y Encerramiento: El Miedo a Nosotros Mismos. PLERUS, 7-10.
- Pabón-Charneco, A. (2016). The architecture of San Juan de Puerto Rico: five centuries of urban and architectural experimentation. Routledge.