INTRODUCTION

Los Balcones de San Juan/The Balconies of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico is pleased to present the photographic works of photographer Jack E. Boucher. As a staff member of the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) of the United States National Parks Service, Mr. Boucher photographed and documented many residential and commercial buildings in Old San Juan during January 1967. Back in 1960, Mr. Boucher had also photographed the Spanish colonial forts and the city walls of Old San Juan for the Historic American Buildings Survey.

The walled city of Old San Juan is a historic district of narrow cobblestoned streets, pastel-colored colonial architecture and lovely plazas. A massive restoration project was started in Old San Juan to commemorate in 1993 the 500th anniversary of Columbus' sighting of Puerto Rico. Many of San Juan's old buildings had been neglected and in disrepair. Preservation and reinvigoration efforts turned Old San Juan into a major tourist destination in itself. Old San Juan's buildings and fortifications, protected by such designations as National Historic Zone, National Historic Site and World Heritage Site, are among the best preserved of Spain's colonial cities. Committed to historic preservation, the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) documents important architectural, engineering and industrial sites dating from the seventeenth to the twentieth century To ensure that such evidence is not lost to future generations, the HABS/HAER Collections are archived at the U.S. Library of Congress, where they are made available to the public. The material used in this photographic exhibit is a courtesy of the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record. Our sincere thanks to Mr. Jack E. Boucher.