STATE: frt°rm l^6 "'• '"• UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR* (Oct. 1772) - , i _::_.. v NATIONAL PARK SERVICE- PUERTO \ f COUNTY: NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM '•• FOR NPS USE ONLY "''•'•• FOR FEDERAL PROPERTIES _ •- ENTRY DATE (Type ail entries - complete applicable, sections) COMMON: SAN JUAN NATIONAL' HISTORIC SITE : ;..•*» ••- AND/OR HISTORIC: • Ur*tt-4ii**xw?4-e--^^ STREET AND NUMBER: (area headquarters on Calle de Norzagaray) CITY OR TOWN: CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: . Old San Juan Puerto Rico STATE: CODE COONTY: CODE ra Commonwealth :of -Puerto "Rica '- CATEGORY OWNERSHIP STATUS r ACCESSIBLE (Check One) TO THE PUBLIC District . f~] Building Public Acquisition-: c Occupied ' " Site *" '^T1 Structure Q) Privote '" CJtrrProcess" "? ' Unoccupied" ** j-» - • , . ^. .•. • D Object Both '.' ; 'f~1 Being Considered in progress . PRESENT USE (Chock One or Motor a» Appropriate) „, C~l Agriculturol nil Government (3 Transportation [~~1 Commerciol (~1 Industrial Private R»tidenc Q Other Q Edueotionol ' ,Q Military; r~] Entertainment [J] Mys«um NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTKENT-OFr THE INTERIOR REGIONAl. HEADQUARTERS: (II applicable). '"*iv STREET AND NUMBER: '• Southeast Regional Office Whipple Avenue CITY OR TOWN: ..* . .-<••». CPDE. Atlanta COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETCl; Federal Records (A STREET AND NUMBER: Department of the Interior CITY OR TOWN: STATE; CODE V/ashington, D.G. :R£PR ES EKTATtON^N E TITLE OF SURVEY: AS Built -Sui-veya, H T S. 'Armyy. (2) -HABS DATE OF SURVEY? Fed.ro) Stote f"l County DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: •San Jnan NHS Library of Congre: STREET AND NUMBER: Capital Hill i Old San Juan r CITY OR TOWN: Puerto Rico Washington CODE Exc«IUnt Good CONDITION (Chuck Onm) AU«r«d Unolt.r.d DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (it known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE ""——~~~ H-200 EL MORKO (Castillo de San Felipe. del MorroT Approximate acreage! 7 Geographical Coordinates! ^/l^jg- LAT 66 07 29 LON 18 " ^ First Order of Significance PRESERVATION AND REST(3RATlbr& San Felipe del Morro is a large'masonry "fort located pn'vthe* far western tip of San -Juan Island and commanding to San Juan Bay. The fort covers approximately 7 acres; _„__ built in 8 tiers (levels). The lowest tier is 16 feel; abqva mien water level; the top is 1^-0 feet-above. Of the 8, levels, two are outside .the main structure—San Fernando-Basti6n^i33| South Moat and the caponnier Tejeda on the north " " '• <>™**j**rt* On the landside, El Morro is protected by a dry moat 7i-4^Lfri J - stretches between the north coast of San Juan Island the tip ]to steep cliffs on the bay side. The fortress is- triangular in plan with projecting hornworks on the ^landward side. A sallyport is the only means of egress to the fprt^krid^ is centered in curtain walls between the hornworks and :.reacHe§? by7 a masonry bridge across the dry moat. U^SMS • ^"^ ' ~ '' t'i^^'lcSy^'cS'-TftCj- The level' of the sally port is the parade, .or "Plaza de'Srmais^* a long, fairly narrow court which is flanked on both sides^jjy v= casemates. The northside of the- plaza is separated from.j^|^£ ITJSi^V Carmen Bastion by an arched passage way. Immediately opposite,;: ra3>SS the sally port .entrance; is ;the. main gun. ramp, flanked byjffe"]^; leading to Santa Barbara and lower levels. - 3^^ Cn the level above the Plaza de Armas and partially supporte'i^ on the casemates, two large bastions—Austria and Oc landward and a third battery faces northwest and the These are reached by ramps from the Carmen Bastion-and. south end of the plaza. • ;.-; Santa Barbara Bastion, ^8 feet below the level of the faces the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of San Juan. The se and bayside batteries are divided by a courtyard at a level, reached by steps near dthe foot of the main ramp. A series of casemates open on the northside of the ____-^__^,,_^ These casemates support Santa Barbara B(astion and were intended for armaments. The open vaulted "casemates" on -the southsid&% support the main ramp and were used for kitchen, forge and3^^ other service facilities for the garrison. From the ;casematS|f on the northwestern side of the courtyard, a vaulted leads to the remains of the l6.th century tower that- is kernel of El Morro-. Steps from the tower provide access the "floating battery" at the western tip of El Morro. ' "PERIOD (Chock One or More a» Appropriate) ! Pre-Columbian ' -.fl^") 16th Century 18th Century ' Q[20th —\..»^.-«.'tfrlSSSr*:-r-.-: r-s. ! 15th Century EH 17th Century 19th Century SPECIFIC DATEIS) (11 Applicable and Known) AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Cftsc* One or More mm'Approprimte) Aboriginal. .Q Education ' Q political [ I Urban Planning Q Prehistoric [3 Engineering [~] Religion/Phi- Q Other (Specify) ^ "' -'^'"'^'i ,1' [^Historic [^| Industry losophy Q) Agricullur* [~~| Invention Q) Science X~| Architecture [JLandscape Q) Sculpture Q Art Architecture [~] Social/Human- | — | Commerce r~l Literature itarian [~] Communications iHtary Q Theater Conservation tusic [^Transportation STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The San Juan fortifications consist of the major fortresses of El Morro and San Cristobal with their outworks, the city walls, and the satellite forts of El Canuelo and San Jeronimc and other structures representing first, second, and third lines of defense. As one of the major Caribbean fortifica­ tions lof the Spanish Empire, the San Juan defenses contribu­ 2 ted to the protection of Spanish imperial interests in the O New World. • | -" U Begun in the sixteenth century (1539). ttte defense works 3 had been expanded and added to in four centuries to the a period of World War II. In its existing form, the fortifi­ cations generally retain the character and appearance of the most advanced 18th century defense techniques that were applied to a difficult,and unusual site. Within the frame­ tu work of the eighteenth century, the defense units still UJ exhibit traces of eardier origin-and military features of the 19th and 20th centuries. Exposed to military action and development in every century of its existence, .the San Juan defenses are associated with historic figures such as Sir Francis Drake, Earl of Cumber­ land, General Bowdoin Henrick, Juan Bautista Antonelli, Field Marshall Alejandro O'Reilly, Thomas O'Daly, Sir Ralph Abercromby, and many others, San Juan National Historic Site includes Castillo de San ?elipe del Morro, SI Canuelo, the North Wall, most of the South Wall, and San Cristobal and its outworks formed by Santa Teresa and La Princesa, El Abanico, the Great Moat and La Trinidad and San Carlos Ravelins. |ji.:^jaR*SaifcUOi<^ftf^^ Historic Structures Reports and miscellaneous area studies, 1952-1965; Historical Studies Managment Plan, 1972 j maps and plans archives, San Juan NHS. collection. LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES .,3 DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY ' OF LESS THAN TEN ACRES ————————— ————————————————————————————————————————————————— I CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGITUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds • KJ yrf o t it o * * * 18° 28' 06" NE ° ' ° 66° 08 11" SE o ,- „ 0 . , „ bo 66 06 30 18 ; 28 14 SW o : , . o APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: Jty,Q ' • LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FbR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE: ' . : . C O D E COUNTY: CODE " ' ' ' ' ' STATE: CODE COUNTY: CODE rn • m STATE: CODE COUNTY: CODE • ' " \ • • ' STATE: - . ^ CODE .COUNTY: .- ; CODE -f ya 1 ii ; FO RM . P R EFA R EJP 'Illl NAME AND TITLE; . Chief ] P^OATE: F.C. G.lessins. Architect; 'Loretta Schmidt, HistorJLJUI 6-12-73 •H BUSINESS ADDRESS: . «-•."• . : O San Juan National Historic Site STREET AND NUMBER: , . ' PHONEj Castille San Cristobal (Post Office Box 712) 809-72^-197^ CITY OR TOWN! . ,.- C ... ' < •„.' : STATE ' ;.. •• . CODE i_ Old San Juan Puerto Rico 00902 ^dEW^ ;ii5;^iiPNiA:;TiON A ^R€6^5ESii?£ RJ i?:f eA^HOsfiiS^M^K ." * State Liaison Officer recommendation: I hereby certify that this property is included in the i O Yes National Register. Q No O None State Liaison Officer Signature - In compliance with Executive Order Il593 f I hereby Director, Office of Archeology and Historic Preuorvation nominate this property to the National Register, certify­ ing that the State Liaison Officer has been allowed 90 days in which to present the nomination to the State Re­ Date ————i ——— - ' view Board and to evaluate its significance. The recom­ ' mended level of significance is f~l National f~) State ATTEST: -••.-.•)«>'•• ;•••_ ., f~) Local Federal Representative Signature Date Keeper of The N*ttott*l Register Title Date ______________ _ ————— ————————————• —— Form 10-300a UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PUERTO RICO NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE SAJU H-200 (Continuation Sheet) Morro (Number fit entries) is the lowest level of armament in the fortress. A number of sentry boxes and listening posts (loopholes) are located on Santa Barbara and Carmen Bastions and the top level. Begun in the l6th century (1539) > 21 Morro has been expanded, repaired and renewed many times. The last extensive remodeling v/as done during the l?80s. Since then a number of changes and additions have been made during the early and mid-nineteenth century, Drior Ito the Spanish-American War, and during World Wars I & II. The fort is "constructed essentially with walls of San Juan sandstone, with vaulting and piers in brick, and sand and earth-fill between v/all shelves. Late 19th century and World Wirs I & II additions are concrete. All exposed surfaces inside and out originally were plaster. The top tier supports a brick lighthouse from early 20th century; with the remains of a mid-19th century structure „ incorporated.