Historic Structures Report, Part II, Architectural Data: Officers' Quarter, Castillo de San Cristobal

Keune, Russell

San Juan National Historic Site in the Old San Juan section of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a National Park Service-managed historic site which protects and interprets colonial-era forts such as Castillo San Felipe del Morro, bastions, powder houses, and three fourths of the old city wall. The project covered by this report originated with the need to move the Park Office away from Fort Brooke where it had been located for several years. The move had to be accomplished before the usual reports and drawings for the Improvements could be produced. The Army transferred jurisdiction of San Cristobal on September 13, 1961 and the offices were moved Into it on November 1 after a minimum of rehabilitation of the casemate space had been carried out. At first it was intended that only the old Officers' Quarters be retained. A study of the architectural style of the buildings around the San Cristobal plaza, however, seemed to indicate that the buildings as they now stand owe their exterior design to work done In the 1861 period. To replace the present design with conjectural effects of an earlier period seemed inadvisable. It was therefore recommended that the period of the Manuel Castro plan (1861) be adapted as the period of restoration. To be consistent, it was decided to retain the southern range of rooms which were added at that time. They already had toilets suitable for public use - at least on a temporary basis. The project thus became considerably larger than was originally intended but the economic advantages of the new arrangement was considerable. A set of measured drawings of the structure was prepared by Student Ladd Ehlinger in the summer of 1961. A Part 1 Architectured Report by Woodrow W. Wilkins was issued by EODC on October 3 and approved in Washington, November 27; in this he was guided in part by Resident Architect Frederick C, Gjessing, our expert in this area. The study of the fabric was carried out by Architects Wilkins and Keune and the present Part II Report is being offered in conjunction with working drawings (9 sheets) prepared by Messrs, Wilkins,and Keune and Draftsman Ramon Ramirez of San Juan. The details have been studied with great care so that a plausible restoration of the 1861 period may be attempted.

Historic Structures Report, Part II, Architectural Data: Officers' Quarter, Castillo de San Cristobal

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