President and founder of the Puerto Rico Historic Building Drawing Society (PRHBDS), Andy Rivera explains, “San Juan's buildings feature preserved and restored traditional balconies, which are the only ones that still follow the Canary Islands style.”Photo: Discover Puerto Rico
The first structures in the New World are right smack dab in the capital of this American territory
By Jessica Cherner for Architectural Digest
Arguably New York City’s most impressive collection of architectural masterpieces were the Gilded Age mansions that flanked Fifth Avenue. From The Vanderbilt’s grandiose John B. Snook–designed townhouse on 54th Street to the Astors’ French Rococo–style manor 20 blocks south, the extravagant display of wealth has since been demolished in favor of more contemporary structures that, unlike the 19th-century limestone jewels of Midtown, are clad in floor-to-ceiling reflective glass panes and glossy steel. And while some architects prefer to guide their respective cities’ skylines into the future, others prefer to preserve the historic structures that, over many centuries, have become the metropolises’ pièces de résistance. One such architect is San Juan’s, Andy Rivera, the president and founder of the Puerto Rico Historic Building Drawing Society.
Read the full article at Architectural Digest
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