Old Piedras River Aqueduct
Acueducto de San Juan | |
![]() Old aqueduct building in El Cinco | |
18°23′21″N 66°03′32″W / 18.38917°N 66.05889°W / 18.38917; -66.05889 | |
Area | 23 acres |
---|---|
Built | 1847 |
Architectural style | Colonial |
NRHP reference No. | 07000585[1] |
Added to NRHP | June 21, 2007 |
The Old Piedras River Aqueduct (Spanish: Antiguo acueducto del Río Piedras), also known as the San Juan Waterworks (Acueductos de San Juan), is an aqueduct in the barrio (district) of El Cinco of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is by the Piedras River, next to the University of Puerto Rico Botanical Garden. This aqueduct dates to the mid 19th century and it was important for the urban development of Río Piedras.[2][3]
History
The development of an aqueduct at the site by the Piedras River dates to 1825 and it was important to the urban development of Río Piedras, then known as El Roble. The waterworks were critical for their supply of clean water which was fundamental to the city's growth along a main corridor that still exists as Ponce de León Avenue. The original design of the existing aqueduct structure dates to 1847 and was designed by engineer Juan Manuel Lomber. The waterworks went through many upgrades since then done by American British engineers that were completed by the time of the Spanish-American War of 1898, with some main components installed some years later, between 1917 and 1918.[2][4]
The Puerto Rico Conservation Trust (Para la Naturaleza) currently manages 9 out of the 23 acres of the historic site, and since 2007 has been working with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to preserve the site. The nonprofit organization proclaimed the historic district a National Treasure in 2014.[2][5] Current plans for the district include the restoration the site's facilities for use as a visitor center dedicated to research, recreation, and education about the benefits of water resource conservation.[6]
Historic district
The aqueduct and its surrounding buildings were added as the Acueducto de San Juan historic district to the National Register of Historic Places on June 21, 2007.[7] The historic district is composed of a small weir that supplied water from the Piedras River; a valve room; six sedimentation and filtration tanks; an engine room with its carbon deposit; and an employee house.[2][8]
See also
- Acueducto de Ponce (1880)
- National Register of Historic Places listings in San Juan, Puerto Rico
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Antiguo Acueducto del río Piedras". Para la Naturaleza. 2014-09-23. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
- ^ "Antiguo Acueducto del río Piedras". Puerto Rico Historic Buildings Drawings Society. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
- ^ Sepúlveda Rivera, Aníbal. "Antiguo Acueducto del Rio Piedras" (PDF). edicionesdigitales.info.
- ^ "Historia y Naturaleza en el Antiguo Acueducto de Río Piedras". El Adoquín Times (in Spanish). 2021-05-22. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
- ^ "Antiguo Acueducto del Río Piedras | National Trust for Historic Preservation". savingplaces.org. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
- ^ "NPGallery Asset Detail". npgallery.nps.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
- ^ "Antiguo Acueductos del río Piedras". Discover Puerto Rico. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
External links
- Official website (Para la Naturaleza)
- Official website (National Trust for Historic Preservation)
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![San Juan map](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Locator-map-Puerto-Rico-San-Juan.svg/90px-Locator-map-Puerto-Rico-San-Juan.svg.png)
Landmark District
- Administration Building
- Antiguo Casino de Puerto Rico
- Biblioteca Carnegie
- El Capitolio de Puerto Rico
- Carcel de Puerta de Tierra
- Casa de España
- Casa Klumb
- Casa Vigil
- Central High School
- Church of San Mateo de Cangrejos of Santurce
- Church, School, Convent and Parish House of San Agustín
- Colegio de las Madres del Sagrado Corazón
- Condado Vanderbilt Hotel
- Rafael Cordero Graded School
- Edificio Aboy
- Edificio Comunidad de Orgullo Gay de Puerto Rico
- Edificio del Valle
- Edificio Patio Español
- Edificio Victory Garden
- Escuela Brambaugh
- Escuela Graduado José Celso Barbosa
- Figueroa Apartments
- Gran Logia Espiritual Número 1
- Hotel Normandie
- House at 659 Concordia Street
- House at 659 La Paz Street
- House at 663 La Paz Street
- House at 665 McKinley Street
- La Giralda
- Miami Building
- Nuestra Señora de Lourdes Chapel
- Polvorín de Miraflores
- Puerto Rico Ilustrado – Edificio El Mundo
- Puerto Rico Island Penitentiary
- Rafael M. Labra High School
- Residencia Aboy–Lompre
- Residencia de Señoritas Universidad de Puerto Rico; Río Piedras
- Residencia Luis Muñoz Marín
- Rum Pilot Plant
- School of Tropical Medicine
- Superintendent of Lighthouses' Dwelling
- Supreme Court Building
- Templo del Maestro
- U.S. Custom House
- U.S. Post Office and Courthouse
- University of Puerto Rico Tower and Quadrangle
- Villa Victoria