Atarazanas Reales, Santo Domingo
The Reales Atarazanas (Royal Shipyards) is a waterside building that housed the shipyards, warehouses, customs house and tax offices of the old port of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It was the property of the Spanish Crown. Begun in 1509, the Atarazanas is the oldest building of its type still standing in America, and one of a handful remaining in the Spanish world, amongst which are the Atarazanas Reales de Barcelona, in Barcelona, the Atarazanas Reales de Sevilla, in Seville, the Atarazanas del Grao in Valencia and the Royal Dockyard in Havana.[1]
The Atarazanas building is part of Colonial City of Santo Domingo World Heritage Site, and after restoration in 2018, today houses the Museo de las Atarazanas Reales, which reopened in December 2019 and exhibits artifacts recovered from underwater archaeology and other artifacts from colonial shipwrecks around Hispaniola island and the naval history of the Dominican Republic.
Construction[edit]
Construction began in 1509, and ended in 1541. The brick building contains three parallel, barrel vaulted naves of substantial size, although the north nave (which was temporarily given a flat roof) was finally vaulted as a result of a 1972 restoration. The central nave is slightly wider than the two adjoining ones. In the 18th century, the columned entrance portico, which fronts only the first two naves, was added. Its five stone columns support four brick arches of Moorish influence.