Travels in the 2nd half

Inside the Alcaldía in San Juan Walking in to the Casa Alcald ía in Old San Juan, I was struck immediately by image in the stained glass over the stairway. A flamboyan tree, twenty feet high and thirty feet wide. The vibrant colors literally jump off of the wall. It is truly breath taking. The tour of stained glass windows in Old San Juan in one of many given by The Puerto Rico Historic Building DrawingSociety (PRHBDS), a non-profit whose mission is to educate people on the architectural history of Puerto Rico. You can read my previous blog about them here . This tour was a unique chance to focus on one feature of Old San Juan and to have a look at some places that many tourists and residents never get to see. There are some amazing examples of stained glass in Old San Juan. One of my favorites is in the Casa Alcaldía (city hall) on the Plaza de Armas. The flamboyan tree (also known as the Royal Poinciana) is an icon of Puerto Rico. Its bright red flowers bloom ...

Our tour guide, Andy, stopped and told us to wait while he went into a jewelry store on Calle San Francisco in Old San Juan. A few minutes later he came out with the key to an apartment building across the street. He opened the creaky gate and, as we looked up the steep stairway, said “It’s worth the climb.” San Juan, Puerto Rico, is one of the oldest European cities in the Americas, and its buildings are a unique collection of Spanish colonial architecture. It is so unique that it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Unfortunately a large number of these treasures have been allowed to deteriorate over the years. The Puerto Rico Historic Building Drawing Society (PRHBDS) is working hard to educate people and help turn this tide.   Alcalde de Viejo San Juan Convento y Casa de Salud de Siervas de Maria The PRHBDS is an organization of professionals including architects, urban planners, engineers and educators that has a goal of promoting an...