Built 1939 Opened 1939 Nearest city San Juan | NRHP Reference # 08000856 Added to NRHP 27 August 2008 | |
 | ||
MPS Historic Bridges of Puerto Rico MPS Similar Piñero, Sagrado Corazon, Fortín de San Gerónimo, Isleta de San Juan, Puente Dos Hermanos | ||
Martín Peña Bridge, in Spanish properly known as Puente Martín Peña, is an Art Deco style bridge from 1939, designed by Cecilio Delgado and others. It is located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
History
The original Martín Peña Bridge was simply a stone causeway probably built around the mid-1500s. Later, a wooden bridge was built on top of the causeway, which was in turn replaced by a brick edification in 1784. This bridge, designed by Juan Francisco Mestre, was destroyed by the British during Ralph Abercromby's invasion of Puerto Rico. After this, the bridge was rebuilt in 1846 with a design by engineer Santiago Cortijo. This new bridge measured 220 feet long and 6 meters wide, and was composed of nine elliptical arches.
According to a book by Luis Pumarada and Maria de los Angeles Castro, the name of Martín Peña comes from a fisherman who operated a cove near the area.