Timeline of San Juan, Puerto Rico
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a timeline of the history of the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
16th–18th centuries
- 1511 – August 8: First Catholic Diocese in the Americas established in San Juan.[2]
- 1513
- Construction of a wooden cathedral in the Islet of San Juan begins.[3]
- Escuela de gramática established by bishop Alonso Manso.[4]
- 1521
- August 15: Ciudad de San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico officially founded by Spanish colonists after abandoning nearby Caparra.[5][6]
- Construction of Casa Blanca for the Ponce de León family begins.
- Platting and construction of several streets in Old San Juan including Plaza de Armas and Plaza de la Catedral.
- 1523 – Convento de Santo Tomas de Aquino founded.[7]
- 1524 – Nuestra Señora de la Concepción Hospital built.[7]
- 1526 – October 4: St. Francis Hurricane occurs.[5]
- 1528 – San José Church construction begins.[8][9]
- 1529 – October 18: Harbor attack by Caribs.[7]
- 1530
- August 5: Hurricane occurs.[5]
- Casa Blanca built.[7]
- 1533 – Construction of La Fortaleza begins by orders from King Charles I of Spain.[10]
- 1540 – La Fortaleza built.[7]
- 1542 – Cathedral of San Juan Bautista construction begins.[11]
- 1560 – City wall construction begins.[5]
- 1560s – San Antonio Bridge built across Condado Lagoon.[7]
- 1568
- September 7: Hurricane occurs.[5]
- Fortín San Antonio is built to protect the eastern entrance to the San Juan Islet.
- 1580 – San Juan becomes the capital of the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico.
- 1582 – Population: 850 (approximate estimate).[7]
- 1591 – Castillo San Felipe del Morro construction begins.[8]
- 1594 – Witch-hunt, the first of its kind in the Americas, occurs in what is now Puerta de Tierra by orders of bishop and inquisitor Don Nicolás Ramos.[12]
- 1595 – November 22: Battle of San Juan begins.[7][6]
- 1598 – June: San Juan taken by British forces; Boquerón battery sacked.[5][6]
- 1605 – Cabildo constructed in Plaza de San Juan.[8]
- 1615 – September 12: Hurricane occurs.[5]
- 1625 – September 24: Town besieged by Dutch forces.[7]
- 1651 – Monasterio del Señor San José de la Orden de nuestra Señora del Carmen founded by Doña Ana Lanzós.
- 1733 – Palacio Episcopal construction begins (approximate date).[11]
- 1750 – establishment of the first advance defense line on the eastern end of the San Juan Islet.
- 1756 – Church of Saint Francis of Assisi established by the Third Order of Franciscans.
- 1760 – Santurce founded as San Mateo de Cangrejos.[13]
- 1769 – San Gerónimo Powderhouse built.
- 1770 – Miraflores Powderhouse built.
- 1780 – Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud built.[11]
- 1783 – Castillo de San Cristóbal built.[6]
- 1787
- May 2: 1787 Boricua earthquake causes considerable damage to the city fortifications.[14][15]
- May 3: Fiesta de Cruz begins.[16]
- 1791 – Fortín de San Gerónimo is built.
- 1797 – April: San Juan besieged by British forces.[17][6]
- 1800 – construction of the Arsenal de San Juan begins.
19th century
- 1806 – Gaceta de Puerto Rico newspaper begins publication.[18]
- 1810 – Construction of a Camino Real between San Juan and Río Piedras (today the Ponce de León Avenue).[12]
- 1813 – Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País en Puerto Rico founded.
- 1820 – Population: 7,658.[19]
- 1822 – Board of charity established.[20]
- 1823 – Sociedad Filarmónica (philharmonic society) formed.[21]
- 1832
- Church of San Mateo de Cangrejos of Santurce built.
- Real Audiencia de Puerto Rico established.[11]
- Teatro Municipal (theatre) opens.
- 1840 – Colegio de Abogados founded.[11]
- 1845 – Town divided into barrios San Francisco, San Juan, Santa Barbara, Santo Domingo, and Ballajá.[22]
- 1846 – Castillo San Felipe del Morro lighthouse is built.[23]
- 1847 – San Juan Waterworks established in Río Piedras.
- 1848 – Cafe de La Mallorquina in business.[24]
- 1850 – Real Intendencia Building constructed.[8]
- 1853
- 1854 – Paseo de la Princesa established.
- 1858 – Telegraph service is established in San Juan and Santurce.[26]
- 1859 – Barrios De la Marina and Puerta de Tierra become part of San Juan.[27]
- 1863
- Santurce becomes part of San Juan.[28]
- Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery established.
- 1864 – Ballajá Barracks built.
- 1865 – Colegio de Párvulos built.
- 1867 – November 18: a 7.5 earthquake heavily damages portions of the city wall, prompting the demolition of its southeastern portion afterwards.[29]
- 1873 – March 22: Slavery officially abolished in Puerto Rico.
- 1876 – April 30: Ateneo Puertorriqueño (cultural entity) founded.
- 1877 – Cárcel de la Princesa (prison) built.[30]
- 1878 – steam tramway service established between San Juan and Río Piedras.
- 1879 – José Ramón Becerra y de Gárate becomes mayor.[31]
- 1882 – Ponce de León statue erected in the Plaza de San José.[32]
- 1883 – Auxilio Mutuo Hospital established.
- 1884 – October: González Padín, the first department store in Puerto Rico, opens its first store in San Juan.
- 1885 – Civil Hospital built.
- 1888 – La Carbonera barrio becomes part of San Juan.[24]
- 1893
- October 5: Sociedad Anónima de Economías y Préstamos (later Banco Popular de Puerto Rico) founded.
- Christopher Columbus statue erected in the Plaza Colón at the site of the former Puerta de Tierra city gate.
- Electric street lighting established.[26]
- 1894 – Population: 23,414.[33]
- 1897 – Phone infrastructure established.[26]
- 1898
- May 12: Bombardment of San Juan by United States forces.[6]
- June 22: Second Battle of San Juan.
- June 28: Third Battle of San Juan.
- August 12: End of hostilities between US and Spanish military forces. United States Military Government begins.
- October: Francisco del Valle becomes mayor.[31]
- Carretera Central (Ponce-San Juan Road) built.
- San Juan News begins publication.[34]
- Railway built (approximate date).[35]
- 1899
- March 12: Mission of St. John the Baptist, the first Episcopal mission in Puerto Rico, is established.
- April 11: Town becomes part of United States-annexed Puerto Rico per Treaty of Paris.
- Chamber of commerce founded.[30]
- Population: 32,048.[36][6]
- 1900
- May 1: Foraker Act comes into force, civil government for Puerto Rico begins. United States Military Government ends.
- Supreme Court of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico Department of Education headquartered in San Juan.
- Insane asylum established.[20]
- Modern La Perla settlement begins (approximate date).
20th century
1900s–1950s
- 1901
- Trolley de San Juan begins operating.
- San Juan High School opens.[37]
- 1902 – City government formed into legislative and executive branches.[38]
- 1903
- March 12: University of Puerto Rico established in Rio Piedras as Escuela Normal.
- Barriada Miranda, the first official public residential area, is built in Puerta de Tierra.[12]
- Roberto H. Todd Wells becomes mayor.[31]
- 1904 – Camp Las Casas established by the US Army.[39]
- 1907 – José Julián Acosta School, the first public elementary school, is built in Puerta de Tierra.[12]
- 1909 – Harbor enlarged.[6]
- 1910
- March 6: Puerto Rico Ilustrado begins publication.[34][40]
- Dos Hermanos Bridge opens.
- First Lutheran and Methodist churches in San Juan open in Puerta de Tierra.[12]
- Santurce marketplace is established.
- Tres Banderas Theater opens, the first of many theaters to be established in an area known as Broadway of Puerto Rico during the 1910s and 1920s.[12]
- Population: 48,716.[6]
- 1913 – Cine Luna opens.[41]
- 1914 – Jose V. Toledo Federal Building and United States Courthouse is built.
- 1915
- March 25: the first shot of World War I fired against the Central Powers by the regular armed forces of the United States is shot by Lieutenant Teófilo Marxuach in the San Juan Bay.[42][43]
- December 8: Church, school and convent of San Agustín are officially opened.[44]
- Carnegie Library, the first purpose-built library in Puerto Rico, is built.
- 1917 – July 24: Antiguo Casino de Puerto Rico is officially inaugurated.
- 1918 – October 11: 1918 San Fermín earthquake.
- 1919
- October 16: Condado Vanderbilt Hotel in business.
- San Juan Asamblea Municipal (municipal assembly) and Concejo de Administración (administrative council) created.[38]
- 1920 – Population: 70,707.[45]
- 1921 – September 21: Academia del Perpetuo Socorro founded.
- 1922 – December 3: WKAQ radio begins broadcasting.[46]
- 1923
- U.S. military Fort Buchanan established.
- Mansion Georgetti (residence) built.[8]
- 1925
- Academia San Jorge founded.
- Loaiza Cordero Institute for Blind Children, the first of its kind in Puerto Rico, is founded.
- 1926 – School of Tropical Medicine established by Bailey Ashford.
- 1928
- September: San Felipe Segundo Hurricane occurs.
- Luis Muñoz Rivera Park laid out.
- Workers protest at Puerta de Tierra and its docks.[12]
- 1929
- January 1: Women's suffrage begins in Puerto Rico.[38]
- February 11: Capitol of Puerto Rico building constructed.
- 1930
- February: Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is built.
- Population: 114,715.[47]
- 1931 – San Juan Custom House built.
- 1932 – September–October: San Ciprian hurricane.
- 1934 – Luis Muñoz Rivera Park opens to the public.
- 1935
- May 28: Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration headquartered in San Juan.
- November 12: Estadio Sixto Escobar opened.
- Universidad del Sagrado Corazón is established.
- 1937 – Puerta de Tierra Tenement Group Project A, today known as El Falansterio de Puerta de Tierra, is built.
- 1939 – Martín Peña Bridge built.
- 1940
- United States Naval Air Station Isla Grande (Isla Grande Airport) established.[48]
- Population: 169,247.[47]
- 1942 – October 10: Normandie Hotel opens.
- 1943
- March 3: Fort Brooke is established by the US Army.
- July 28: 1943 Puerto Rico earthquake.
- 1945 – January 2: Roberto Sánchez Vilella becomes Mayor of San Juan.
- 1946 – January 2: Felisa Rincón de Gautier becomes Mayor of San Juan.
- 1947 – WAPA, WIAC, WITA, and WRSJ radio begin broadcasting.[46]
- 1948 – City flag design adopted.
- 1949
- February 4: San Juan National Historic Site established by the National Park Service.
- December 9: Caribe Hilton Hotel built.[8]
- 1950
- October 30: San Juan Nationalist revolt.
- Residencial Las Casas housing complex built.
- Population: 224,767.
- 1951
- July 1: Río Piedras becomes part of San Juan municipality.[28]
- Museum of History, Anthropology and Art of the University of Puerto Rico, the first purpose-built museum in Puerto Rico, officially opens.[49]
- 1952 – City officially becomes capital of newly created Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
- 1953
- San Juan Cruise Port officially established.
- Sha'are Zedeck, the first synagogue in Puerto Rico, opens in Santurce.[50]
- 1954
- 1955
- June: Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and Archivo General de Puerto Rico headquartered in city.
- Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport opens.
- 1956 – Casals Festival of classical music begins.
- 1958
- December: La Concha Resort opens.
- Supreme Court Building officially inaugurated by U.S. Supreme Court chief justice Earl Warren.[8]
- Casa del Libro established.[53][54]
- 1959
- May 11: Puerto Rico Metropolitan Bus Authority established.
- June: U.S. National Governors Association meets in San Juan.[55]
- The San Juan Star English-language newspaper begins publication.[34]
1960s–1990s
- 1960
- Office of Secretario de la Asamblea Municipal (secretary of the municipal assembly) created.[38]
- Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico opens in the former Colegio de las Madres del Sagrado Corazón.[21]
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico formed.[56]
- Cataño Ferry regular service is established by the Puerto Rico Ports Authority.
- Population: 451,658.
- 1962
- January 27: Hotel El Convento is opened on the former Carmelite monastery.
- Hiram Bithorn Stadium is opened.
- 1963 – October 4: Puerto Rico Sheraton Hotel (today the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino) opens.
- 1965 – Hato Rey central business district (Milla de Oro) established with the construction of gubernamental and financial high-rises such as Banco Popular headquarters.[57]
- 1966
- July: 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games held.
- September: Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico and San Juan Children's Choir established.
- Albizu University established by Carlos Albizu Miranda at the former psychiatric asylum.
- University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus founded.
- 1967 – August 24: El Monte Mall, the first climate controlled indoor mall in Puerto Rico, opens.[58]
- 1968
- February 28: Center for Advanced Studies on Puerto Rico and the Caribbean founded by Pablo Casals, Luis Muñoz Marín, Roberto Busó Carrasquillo and Jaime Benítez.
- September 12: Plaza Las Américas shopping mall in business.
- 1969 – January 2: Carlos Romero Barceló becomes Mayor of San Juan.
- 1970
- January: San Sebastián Street Festival established.
- Population: 452,749.[59]
- 1971 – March 10: San Juan Botanical Garden inaugurated.[60]
- 1973
- February 1: Roberto Clemente Coliseum opened.
- April 11: Puerto Rico National Library headquartered in city.
- 1974 – April: Association of Caribbean Historians organized during meeting in San Juan.[61]
- 1976 – June: 2nd G7 summit held in Dorado near city.
- 1977
- January 12: Hernán Padilla becomes Mayor of San Juan.
- San Juan Police Department is officially established.
- 1979 – July: 1979 Pan American Games held.
- 1981
- April 9: Centro de Bellas Artes (opera house) opens.[21]
- First mosque in Puerto Rico is established in Río Piedras.[62]
- 1983 – December: La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- 1984
- October 4: Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art established.
- October 12: Pope John Paul II pastoral visit to San juan.
- 1985 – January 2: Baltasar Corrada del Río becomes Mayor of San Juan.
- 1986
- June: U.S. Conference of Mayors held in San Juan.
- December 31: Dupont Plaza Hotel arson.
- San Juan Philharmonic Chorale formed.
- 1988 – Archivo Histórico Arquidiocesano de San Juan (historical archives) established.[28]
- 1989
- January 2: Héctor Luis Acevedo becomes Mayor of San Juan.
- September 18: Hurricane Hugo.
- Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía headquartered in San Juan.[63]
- 1991 – Autonomous Municipalities Act of 1991 created.[38]
- 1992
- Plaza del Quinto Centenario built to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the European discovery and Spanish conquest of Puerto Rico and the Americas.
- Museo de Las Américas established in the former Ballajá Barracks.[64]
- 1994 – Teodoro Moscoso Bridge opens.
- 1997 – January 2: Sila María Calderón becomes Mayor of San Juan.
- 1998 – Nuevo Milenio State Forest is proclaimed to protect the last remaining karst hills from urban sprawl in San Juan.
- 2000
- June 30: Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico established at the former civil hospital.
- August 3: San Patricio State Forest proclaimed.
21st century
- 2001 – January 2: Jorge Santini becomes Mayor of San Juan.
- 2004
- September 4: José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum opened.
- September 15: Hurricane Jeanne occurs.
- December 17: Tren Urbano, the first rapid transit system of the Caribbean, begins operating.
- 2005 – the Puerto Rico Convention Center is officially opened.
- 2006 – December 15: San Juan Natatorium is opened.
- 2008 – September: Hurricane Kyle occurs.
- 2009 – May: Economic protest.[65]
- 2010
- December 24: largest earthquake to directly impact the San Juan metropolitan area since 1975.[66]
- Population: 395,326.[67]
- 2011 – 2010–2011 University of Puerto Rico strikes
- 2012 – November 6: Territorial Puerto Rican status referendum, 2012 held.
- 2013 – January 14: Carmen Yulín Cruz becomes Mayor of San Juan.
- 2017 – September 20: Hurricane Maria occurs and is covered extensively by CBS journalist David Begnaud[68]
- 2019 – July 8 - August 12: Protests throughout San Juan in response to Telegramgate[69]
- 2020 – March 13: first case of COVID-19 in Puerto Rico reported in San Juan
- 2021 – January 11: Miguel Romero becomes Mayor of San Juan.
- 2023 – January 15: San Juan Puerto Rico Temple, the third LDS temple of the Caribbean and first in Puerto Rico, is officially dedicated.[70]
See also
- San Juan history
- List of mayors of San Juan, Puerto Rico
- List of bishops of San Juan, since 1511
- Subdivisions of San Juan, Puerto Rico
- National Register of Historic Places listings in metropolitan San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Timelines of other municipalities in Puerto Rico: municipalities in Puerto Rico: Bayamón, Hormigueros (in Spanish), Mayagüez, Ponce
