In the 1840s, San Juan, Puerto Rico witnessed the construction of an institutional building dedicated to “beneficencia” (social welfare)—the Casa de Beneficencia. This facility sheltered a diverse population, including orphaned children, women, the mentally ill, and the unhoused. An early plan of the architectural complex by Spanish engineer Santiago Cortijo reveals a design emphasizing bilateral symmetry, clear spatial organization, and functionality for housing residents, shaping their daily routines and assigning them work tasks. Notably, Cortijo’s plan divided wards not only by gender and age but also by race, with separate spaces designated for “blancas/os” (whites) and “gentes de color” (people of color). This article examines the social delineations of Cortijo’s plan and explores the implications of a building that functioned as a nineteenth-century institution dedicated to reformist ideas of social welfare within San Juan’s colonial context, paying close attention to its embedded racial and gendered order.

中文翻译：

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设计隔离：圣胡安 Casa de Beneficencia 的种族空间和社会改革


1840年代，波多黎各圣胡安见证了一座致力于“Beneficencia”（社会福利）的机构建筑——Casa de Beneficencia的兴建。该设施收容了不同的人群，包括孤儿、妇女、精神病患者和无家可归者。西班牙工程师圣地亚哥·科尔蒂霍（Santiago Cortijo）对建筑群的早期规划揭示了一种强调双边对称、清晰的空间组织和住房居民功能的设计，塑造他们的日常生活并分配他们的工作任务。值得注意的是，科尔蒂霍的计划不仅按性别和年龄划分选区，还按种族划分选区，为“blancas/os”（白人）和“gentes de color”（有色人种）指定单独的空间。本文考察了科尔蒂霍计划的社会界限，并探讨了这座建筑作为十九世纪机构的影响，致力于在圣胡安殖民背景下致力于社会福利改革主义思想，密切关注其内在的种族和性别秩序。