Construction of La Concha Hotel
Description
Construction phase of the lobby and the guest room tower of La Concha Hotel. Structural framework and several workers are noticeable on the building. Surrounding La Concha Hotel, there are several Spanish Revival-style houses with small roofs, balconies, and wrought-iron grilles. There are also other modern-style buildings, one of which is under construction at the intersection of the roads. The Caribe Hilton Hotel is noticeable in the background.| Origin Name |
CSAST - 2008 (168)
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| Relation |
Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín > Colección Samuel Santiago > Fotos para el Gobierno de Puerto Rico 1949-1954
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| Geographical Coverage |
San Juan
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| Date |
[aproximadamente 1954]
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| Descriptive Notes |
Title assigned by the cataloging team.
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| Descripción decolonial |
The construction of La Concha Hotel echoes the rhetorical construct of progressive politics, industrialization, and tourism in Puerto Rico in the mid-twentieth century. As a response to the success of the Caribe Hilton and the growing popularity of San Juan, La Concha emerged as a symbol of modernity. The government's heavy involvement in tourism development, evident in the financial schemes behind both Caribe Hilton and La Concha, aimed to showcase Puerto Rico as a beacon of progress and a tourist space that would compete with other Caribbean spaces like Cuba. Juxtaposed against the construction scene are older Spanish Revival-style houses, reflecting the clash between “modernity” and “tradition” in the US imperial context. La Concha’s construction, coupled with the Caribe Hilton's expansion and the creation of a new airport, underscored Puerto Rico's ambition to accommodate a massive influx of tourists, but the looming environmental threat to Condado's public beach front, seen here as a quiet strand of beach before a steel-framed tower, raises concerns about the inevitable cost of progress.
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| Historical Background | |
| Architectural Subject |
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| Decolonial Subject | |
| Rights |
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| Editor |
Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín
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| Resource Format |
JPEG
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| Resource Type |
Image
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