José Arias
El Inmobiliario
San Lázaro, one of the oldest neighborhoods in the historic center of Santo Domingo, is located in the northern part of the first city of the New World.
Since 1859, its main street has been named Santomé, in memory of General José María Cabral, victor in the Battle of Santomé against the invading Haitian troops.
The battle was fought in December 1855, in the place known as Sabana de Santomé, in the province of San Juan de la Maguana.
This legendary neighborhood, adjacent to the populous Avenida Mella, boasts centuries-old buildings linked to the religious, cultural, and sporting history of the city.
Their colonial houses were designed in the style of traditional Spanish and European architecture: stones and mortar, high ceilings supported by wooden blocks, decoration with religious symbols, cistern and interior courtyard.
During the colonial period, the neighborhood was famous for the San Lázaro Cross festivities, which gave rise to décimas and risqué songs with double meanings.
The San Lázaro Fort, located on Juan Isidro Pérez Street, near the corner of Santomé, is partially hidden, surrounded by buildings of no historical value. With the revitalization of the Colonial City, it is hoped that it will flourish as it did in its heyday.
In the 1970s, the government of former President Joaquín Balaguer renovated the area through the construction of multi-family housing, a cultural club, and a sports center.
With the presidential decision, a large part of the colonial houses and structures of the former splendor of this historic urban enclave disappeared.
However, as time has passed, the San Lázaro neighborhood offers natives and foreigners a range of diverse cultural and leisure options such as the Mamey Bookstore (located in the former residence of the prominent historian Emilio Rodríguez Demorizi), the Caciba Bar and the La Espiral cultural center.
The church dates back to 1759. The hospital treated leprosy patients. Credit: Sergio de la Rosa.
The church dates from 1759.
It also boasts important centuries-old buildings, such as the corridor, walls, churches, monuments, parks, an old hospital, and forts against pirates.
San Lázaro revitalized
The current government administration, through the Ministry of Tourism, began the second phase of the Comprehensive Program for Tourism and Urban Development of the Colonial City of Santo Domingo (PIDTUCCSD), for an amount of 90 million dollars, with financing from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
In the northern area of the Colonial City, made up of the neighborhoods of San Lázaro, Santa Bárbara, San Antón, and Miguel, the program will have 676 million pesos to improve the houses and the living conditions of the residents.
One of the classic houses in San Lázaro near Mella Avenue. Credit: Sergio de la Rosa.
This plan, along with others that complement it, will stimulate population growth and retention, which is the most important asset in the area.
The private sector, micro-businesses and new ventures will receive incentives, both in subsidies and in works and in labor and technical training, with an amount of 216 million pesos.
Source: Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism Portal.
Originally published in the 8th edition of El Inmobiliario print magazine.
