San Juan, Puerto Rico – Three centuries-old structures located in Old San Juan that are considered architectural jewels and house hundreds of years of history within their walls will be repaired with nearly $10.7 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These are the Catedral de San Juan Bautista, Iglesia Santa Ana and the Capilla Santo Cristo de la Salud, all facilities that are part of the National Register of Historic Places.
The cultural and historical value of these buildings is incalculable, which underscores the importance of repairing the damage caused by Hurricane María and restoring these spaces of great significance to Puerto Rico. According to historian José Marull del Río of the State Historic Preservation Office, for example, the Iglesia Santa Ana once housed five oval works with saints of the Order of Mercy, created by Puerto Rican painter José Campeche. It is also the only current example of a 19th century urban structure of its kind.
Likewise, the Catedral de San Juan stands out as the oldest cathedral on the island and the second oldest in America. Moreover, the construction of the Capilla del Cristo dates back 270 years.
“These facilities are important spaces of Puerto Rican history and identity. The mission of our Environmental and Historic Preservation division is one of great impact, where we seek to address the damage taking into account the laws that protect structures such as these, which are a great example of our heritage,” said federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator José G. Baquero.
Due to the historic characteristics of the structures, repairs must comply with the Department of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Properties. These guidelines are used to determine the type of treatment — either preservation, rehabilitation, restoration or reconstruction — to be applied based on the level of historic significance of the facility and the use and condition the structure is in.
Repairs already completed for the three facilities include lime plaster, brick slabs and flooring, stairs, wood supports and doors. Some of the pending work includes replacing the roof membrane, electrical conduit and wiring, floor tiles and chandeliers. Plaster, stained glass and windows will also be repaired; and interior and exterior painting will be completed, among other work.
For the Catedral de San Juan, over $177,000 of its reconstruction funds are for mitigation measures: the waterproofing of the roof will be reinforced, a coating will be applied to the clear glass windows to prevent cracks and breakage, and impact-resistant non-reflective panels will be installed to protect the stained-glass windows. These repairs are intended to strengthen the structure so that it will not sustain similar damage during atmospheric events that may occur in the future.
Manuel A. Laboy Rivera, Executive Director of the Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3), said, "Our team is committed to continue supporting the subrecipients of faith-based organizations in the development of their reconstruction projects. I urge these organizations to apply for a Working Capital Advance for the development of works that will make the infrastructure resilient and help preserve its historical and cultural value.”
To date, FEMA has obligated nearly $30.4 billion in Public Assistance funds for roughly 10,600 projects that will support the rebuilding of a more resilient Puerto Rico.
For more information about Puerto Rico’s recovery from Hurricane María, visit fema.gov/disaster/4339 y recovery.pr. Follow us on social media at Facebook.com/FEMAPuertoRico, Facebook.com/COR3pr and Twitter @COR3pr.