Bano Grande
National Register of Historic Places

Bano Grande

Rio Grande, Rio Grande County, Puerto Rico
Listed
February 28, 2017
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
100000685

About this property

Baño Grande (Spanish for big bath) is a former swimming pool and historic site located in El Yunque National Forest in Río Grande, Puerto Rico. It is also known as La Mina Pool (Piscina de la Mina or just La Piscina), after La Mina River. It is the larger of the two swimming pools built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in El Yunque, being three times larger than the nearby Baño de Oro pool. Baño Grande is 18 feet (5.5 meters) deep, and it is reinforced by a stone and masonry dam of an unnamed creek belonging to the La Mina River watershed. The pool was designed by architects R.E. Pidgeon and H. Randolph (who also designed the Baño de Oro pool and related recreational infrastructure), and it was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps between 1935 and 1938 using stone masonry and reinforced concrete as the material. It was operational between the years 1935 and 1968 when it was closed due to safety issues. Although the pool was closed and swimming is no longer permitted, it remained well-maintained, and today it is preserved as a historic site open to the public as a scenic spot. The pool was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 28, 2017, as one of the New Deal Era Constructions in the Forest Reserves in Puerto Rico (1933–1942). Baño Grande is located in the La Mina Recreational Area within the Palo Colorado section of El Yunque, and it is connected to the trail network of the forest.

Location

Rio Grande, Rio Grande County, Puerto Rico
18.30155, -65.78543

Categories

ARCHITECTUREENTERTAINMENT/RECREATION
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Baño de Oro
Industrial
0.1 mi
Williams Products Corporation
Pre Contact
6.5 mi
Church Nuestra Senora del Rosario of Naguabo
Industrial
7 mi
Bridge No. 122
Industrial
8.8 mi
Villaran Bridge
Industrial
8.8 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Fajardo (Puerto Rico 1898)
1898Frontier
8.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bano Grande listed on the National Register?

Bano Grande was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 28, 2017.

What type of historic resource is Bano Grande?

Bano Grande is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bano Grande?

The period of significance for Bano Grande is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1935.

Can I research the history near Bano Grande?

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