The Central Aguirre Historic District, in Aguirre, Salinas, Puerto Rico was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[1] Following the acquisition of Puerto Rico by the U.S. government in 1898, as a colonial consequence of the Spanish–American War, the town was originally built as a company town by Ford & Co. (no relation to the automobile manufacturer), an American investment firm that developed a sugar cane manufacturing and export business, and its accompanying employee town facilities.
Central Aguirre Historic District | |
 The Administrator's House (Casa Grande) at the Central Aguirre. | |
  | |
| Nearest city | Salinas, Puerto Rico |
|---|---|
| Area | 326 acres (1.32 km2) |
| Built | 1899 |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements, Traditional industrial |
| NRHP reference No. | 02001208[1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 23, 2002 |
It included 317 contributing buildings, 17 contributing structures, and seven contributing sites on 326 acres (1.32 km2).[1][2][3][4] The sugar mill town and its facilities were constructed into separate living areas for white Americans, the American Zone, and those for Puerto Rican employees, The Puerto Rican Zone. On December 26, 1934, a series of protracted labor strikes began against the structured racial segregation and subsistent wages of the sugar cane industry, locally, and across Puerto Rico. The international price of sugar declined over the course of the 20th century, and by the 1960s, the company abandoned the town. At the time, its operation was taken over by local and national government, but with the continued decline of the international sugar price, the factory and its facilities were permanently closed in 1993.
In 2020, American Express awarded funds for the restoration of the Central Aguirre Historic District.[5] It was also listed on 2020 World Monuments Watch.[6]
Gallery
edit-
Central Aguirre (circa 1930) -
Abandoned buildings (2017) -
Historic houses (2024) -
Historic houses (2024) -
Historic houses (2024) -
Abandoned sugarcane refinery chimney (2024) -
Central Aguirre poblado (2024) -
Former Central Aguirre theater (2024)
References
edit- ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ Hugh C. Tosteson Garcia; Jose M. Marull (October 27, 2000). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Central Aguirre Historic District / Aguirre / Central Aguirre". National Park Service. Retrieved March 25, 2021. With accompanying dozens of photos
- ^ Luis F. Pumarada O'Neill (July 31, 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation: Historic Bridges of Puerto Rico, c. 1840 - 1950" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
- ^ "Central Aguirre Historic District". World Monuments Fund. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
- ^ The Weekly Journal Newsroom (2021-06-20). "American Express Announces Grants to Puerto Rico's Central Aguirre Historic District". The Weekly Journal. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ "2020 World Monuments Watch". World Monuments Fund. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
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