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September, 2020 • República Dominicana www.touringdominicanrepublic.com
Dare to step in
THE CORDON HOUSE the first stone one in América
Dominicano (a national bank) for its Cultural House, but it’s open for you to visit and enjoy the distribution of spaces, similar to the ones of Spanish palaces, admire their antique furniture, and imagine their lifestyle. It is said Francisco de Garay was its first inhabitant, and you can see his coat of arms in the frontispiece. And it’s also said Diego Colón’s daughters, Lucía y Felipa, were born in this house. If you like where this is going, go ahead and give it a visit. Their heavy wooden doors open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and no payment is required. Put your feet in one of the houses where history of “civilized life” in the Américas began.
In Isabel la Católica Street, Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone, Primacy of America, awaits a treasure: the Cord House (Casa de Cordón), the first stone house of the American continent, built around 1503. As you can imagine, such a house has to have a history, years do not pass in vain, right? But you will know more in your visit. Today I’m only giving you hints. The house derives its name from the stone cord (cordón), symbol of the Franciscan order, sculpted above the main entrance, and many say it was done as an act of humbleness, because after a life of violence and libertinage, it is said his first owner became a Franciscan monk. Architecturally, this building from early XVI century is interesting. The main entrance arcade is Plateresque style, but not the façade or the house itself, where you find a mix of shy Gothic and Mudejar (the last one is appreciated in the window sills on top of a high façade that reminds me of fairy tales and some of One Thousand and One Nights. Remember Moors influenced Spain in many ways, for centuries). And it is the first two-story house in our continent. Inside, from one of its two Spanish patio –or small gardens–, you can see the original brick arches of this house restored and now in use by Banco Popular
