The Virginia governor’s mansion was built in 1813, making it the oldest purpose-built governor’s mansion in a state. However, La Fortaleza, the governor’s mansion in San Juan, was built nearly 300 years earlier. Construction took place from 1533 to 1540. La Fortaleza is unquestionably the oldest governor’s mansion in the U.S.
La Fortaleza
La Fortaleza was designed as a defensive stronghold to protect the city of San Juan from pirates and invaders. It is therefore not a purpose-made governor’s mansion, which safeguards Virginia’s claim.
Its imposing walls and strategic location on a peninsula overlooking the harbor made it a formidable fortress. A few years later, El Morro, a new fort in a better strategic location, was built. La Fortaleza was repurposed as living quarters for the military officers.
In 1546, it became the full-time governor’s mansion. Its official name became El Palacio de Santa Catalina (Santa Catalina Palace), and it has housed no less than 170 governors of Puerto Rico. This makes it not merely the oldest governor’s mansion in the U.S., but the oldest one in the hemisphere. It is also the oldest mansion in the New World, and the only one from the time period which has been continuously occupied.
The Count de Mirasol
The austere military-style look of the building was changed in 1846 with a beautiful new facade under the governorship of the Count de Mirasol, in the reign of Isabella II. The architectural style was characteristic of Spanish mansions of the time, including elaborate decoration with Baroque and Arabian influences.
Special features of the palace include tiles of Genoese marble, a stunningly embellished central staircase, and coat of arms of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Spanish rococo style. In this coat of arms and others in the palace are heraldry symbolizing various provinces of Spain, governors including the first, Juan Ponce de Leon, and the Bourbon fleur-de-lis.
La Fortaleza contains many more symbolic furnishings. For example, there is a grand clock which has a broken face. The story goes that the last Spanish governor broke the glass with his sword to represent the last minute of Spanish rule.
Materials from the Old and New Worlds
While many of the materials used to build and decorate La Fortaleza are European in origin, there are also Puerto Rican materials. Features of ausubo wood and locally made tiles are prominent, especially in the kitchen, which may be the oldest kitchen in Puerto Rico. Formal rooms such as the Salon de Thé (tea room) hold furniture made from native mahogany.
In spite of its beauty and elegance, La Fortaleza’s military heritage is also obvious in its central towers and thick defensive walls.
National Historic Landmark
La Fortaleza, together with Old San Juan, is a National Historic Landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Guided walking tours of the palace are conducted regularly, and the site is a popular tourist destination.
