Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Puerto Rico / Old San Juan / The Gallery Inn
The Gallery Inn
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico · Independent · Near Luxury
In 1961, painter Jan D'Esopo found the ruined quarters of the artillery captain who once manned El Morro, and she still lives in the house she rebuilt: six 18th-century buildings on Calle Norzagaray, twenty-two rooms, and six Steinway pianos. Exotic birds have the run of the patios, led by Campeche, a Moluccan cockatoo with his own cards, and candlelit concerts run with the Steinway Society of Puerto Rico. Barack and Michelle Obama stayed in May 2008, and Jan's bust of Michelle went up in the house after the inauguration.
- 22 rooms
- Opened 1980
- Neighborhood: La Perla
About The Gallery Inn
- Barack and Michelle Obama stayed in May 2008. Jan D'Esopo then sculpted a bust of Michelle after the inauguration, and it was placed in the inn.
- Campeche, Jan's Moluccan cockatoo, has greeted guests by name and carried his own cards. A blue macaw named Mikey and an African grey named Rembrandt share the patios.
- The oldest part of the inn housed the artillery captain who manned El Morro's defenses against the British in the late 1700s. Jan found those rooms in ruins in 1961.
- Six Steinway pianos live in the house, one of them a century old in the Music Room, and concerts run with the Steinway Society of Puerto Rico.
- Climb about forty feet above Nico Bar and the guests-only roof has no service at all: you carry a drink up for the harbor, the old city, and the open Atlantic.
History
The Gallery Inn is a boutique inn in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, made up of five 18th-century buildings on Norzagaray Street atop the old city walls. The original building once served as the living quarters of the artillery captain who manned the defences of El Morro fortress against the British invasion of Puerto Rico in the late 1700s.
American artist Jan D'Esopo arrived in Puerto Rico from Boston in 1961, found the building in ruins and set about restoring it, expanding over some three decades by acquiring adjacent buildings. By the early 1980s The Gallery Inn was born, filled with the founder's own paintings and sculptures and known for weekly classical concerts held in partnership with the Steinway Society of Puerto Rico. Guests have included Barack and Michelle Obama during the 2008 campaign.
The setting
6-minute walk to Cathedral of San Juan Bautista. Overlooks Atlantic coast.
Restaurants and bars
- Cannon Club — Restaurant
- Nico Bar — Bar
Experiences
- Concerts by the Puerto Rico Charitable Trust for the Education of Young Musicians — The Inn serves as one of the main homes of the Trust; concerts fill the halls.
Amenities
- Weddings and engagement parties
- Birthdays and showers
- Corporate events
- Private dinners
- Photo and video shoots
- Music and cultural gatherings
- Courtyards
- Chandeliers and old wood interiors
- Piano in a candlelit room
Open The Gallery Inn in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
More hotels in Old San Juan
- Villa Herencia Hotel — Independent · Near Luxury
- Hotel Rumbao, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel — Tribute Portfolio · Accessible Luxury
- 352 Guest House Hotel Boutique — Independent · Core Luxury
- Palacio Provincial — Curio Collection · Core Luxury