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1949 Map of San Juan

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of San Juan
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1952
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1952

About this map

The islet of Antiguo serves as the historic anchor of this mid-century portrait, where the iconic fortifications of Fort Brooke and La Fortaleza overlook the Bahía de San Juan. The 1949 revision captures a capital in rapid transition, showing the dense urban expansion through Santurce and into the burgeoning districts of Hato Rey and Río Piedras. Institutional development is prominent, from the sprawling campus of the Universidad de Puerto Rico and the Colegio del Sagrado Corazón to social projects like Barriada Eleanor Roosevelt and Caserío Lopez Sicardó.

Coastal geography remains central to the city's identity, defined by the Caño de San Antonio and the intricate waters of Laguna San José. Further inland, the map details a landscape of specialized facilities, including the Sanatorio Insular, Manicomio Insular, and the Penitenciaria Insular. The infrastructure of the era is evident in the path of the American RR and major thoroughfares like the Avenida Ponce de Leon, which connected the historic harbor with the expanding residential and industrial sectors of the interior.