Parque Luis Muñoz Rivera.

Statue of Luis Muñoz Rivera, located at the park which bears his name.

The Luis Muñoz Rivera Park (or Parque Luis Muñoz Rivera in Spanish) is a 27.2 acre (110,000 m²) recreational and national park located in the entrance of Old San Juan in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The park was named in honor of Luis Muñoz Rivera.

History

In 1919, land was set aside to create a large recreational park for the residents of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The land that was set aside once formed part of the third line of defense for the city during the 17th and 16th century. The powder house built in 1769 (“El Polvorín”) which supplied Fort San Jeronimo is still located on the grounds of the park. (The powder house was built away from the fort for safety reasons). The east side of the park is bordered by the elegant Puerto Rican Supreme Court building. To the north lies the public beach called "Escambron" and the former site of the Sixto Escobar stadium, which was refurbished for the 1980 Panamerican games.

The park was designed by Bennet, Parsons & Frost of Chicago in 1924. Construction began four years later in 1928. In 1990 the park was restored with designs by the architect Otto Reyes Casanova , followed by further work by Andres Mignucci Giannoni in 2003.