Casa Cautiño

Historic house museum in Guayama, Puerto Rico

United States historic place


Casa Cautiño
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Casa Cautiño is an example of the local urban architecture from the late nineteenth century
17°59′09″N 66°06′48″W / 17.985922°N 66.113237°W / 17.985922; -66.113237
Area	640 m² (6,900 sq ft)^[2]
Built	1887
Architectural style	Classical Revival
NRHP reference No.	84003137
Added to NRHP	June 11, 1984

Casa Cautiño is a house museum in Guayama, Puerto Rico. The museum collection, administered by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, include works of art, wood carvings, sculptures and furniture built by Puerto Rican cabinetmakers for the Cautiño family.^[1] It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

The house was owned by Genaro Cautiño Vázquez, a wealthy Guayama landowner as well as a colonel of the Volunteer Battalion of the Spanish Army. During the Spanish–American War, the house was the headquarters for the American forces. After the war, Genaro Cautiño returned to occupy the house. An additional Annex house, for extended family, also once existed next to the Iglesia San Antonio. Also, a tunnel still exists linking Casa Cautiño, the annex house and Iglesia San Antonio.

The U-shaped structure is one-story with an interior patio, which local architect Manual Texidor built in 1887 after graduation from the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris.

It features some of the elements of the Neoclassical architecture style, such as cornices, pilasters, candelabra, Roman arches, relief motifs, and classical ornamentation. These elements were blended with some of the details of the popular architecture of the southern area of Puerto Rico that prevailed when the structure was built.^[2]

References

This article incorporates public domain material from Casa Cautiño. National Park Service.

^ ^a ^b Institute of Puerto Rican Culture (2003), Museo Casa Cautiño, Guayama (in Spanish), archived from the original on April 20, 2010, retrieved April 20, 2010.
^ ^a ^b Morales Parés, Armando (April 23, 1984), National Register of Historic Places Inventory — Nomination Form: Casa Cautiño (PDF), retrieved May 11, 2017.