List of oldest buildings in the Americas

This article lists the oldest known surviving buildings constructed in the Americas, including on each of the regions and within each country. "Building" is defined as any human-made structure used or interface for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy. In order to qualify for this list a structure must:

  • be a recognisable building;
  • incorporate features of building work from the claimed date to at least 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in height;
  • be largely complete or include building work to this height for most of its perimeter.
  • contains an enclosed area with at least one entry point.

Pre-Columbian era
Building Image Location Country or territory First built Use Notes
Sechin Bajo Áncash  Peru 3500 BCE Administrative-ceremonial center A large archaeological site with ruins dating from 3500 BCE to 1300 BCE.[1]
Pyramids of Caral Lima  Peru 2600 BCE Temples and houses Built by the Caral civilization, these pyramids predate the Egyptian pyramids by around 100 years.[2]
Kotosh Huánuco  Peru 1800 BCE Temple Archaeological site consisting of buildings with six periods of continuous occupation.[3]
Garagay Lima  Peru 1400 BCE Temples One of the largest centers of pre-Columbian culture on Peru's central coast.[4]
Yucuita Oaxaca  Mexico 1300 BCE Ceremonial center and a square Founded by the Mixtec civilization in the pre-Classic Period[5]
San José Mogote Oaxaca  Mexico 1300 BCE Town San José Mogote was the largest and most important Zapotec settlement in the Valley of Oaxaca during the Early and Middle Formative periods.|[6]
Chavín de Huantar Áncash  Peru 1200 BCE Religious center Occupation at Chavín de Huántar by the Chavín people has been carbon dated to at least 3000 BCE.[7]
Garðar Cathedral Ruins Igaliku  Greenland 1126 CE Church Oldest extant building of European origin in North America.[8]

16th century
Building Image Location Country or territory First built Use Notes
Fortaleza Ozama Santo Domingo  Dominican Republic 1502–1508 Fortification Oldest military construction of European origin in the Americas.[9][10]
Hospital San Nicolás de Bari Santo Domingo  Dominican Republic 1503 Hospital Oldest hospital in the Americas. In ruins.[9][11]
Monasterio de San Francisco Santo Domingo  Dominican Republic 1509–1560 Monastery Oldest monastery in the Americas.[9]
Basilica Cathedral of Santa María la Menor Santo Domingo  Dominican Republic 1514-1541 Cathedral First and oldest cathedral in the Americas.[12][9]
Palace of Cortés Cuernavaca  Mexico 1523–1528 Palace Oldest extant colonial-era civil structure in the continental Americas.[13][14]
Church of San José San Juan  Puerto Rico 1532–1735 Church Oldest extant building in the United States.[15][16]
Iglesia de Balbanera Cajabamba  Ecuador 1534 Church Oldest extant building in Ecuador.
Iglesia de La Merced Granada  Nicaragua 1534 Church Oldest extant building in Nicaragua.[17]
Church of Saints Cosme and Damião Igarassu  Brazil 1535 Church Oldest extant building in Brazil.[18]
Cathedral Basilica of Lima Lima  Peru 1535-1649 Cathedral Oldest extant building in Peru.[19]
Colegio de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco Mexico City  Mexico 1536 College First and oldest European school of higher learning in the Americas. First major school of interpreters and translators in the Americas.[20][21]
Monasterio de Santo Domingo Guatemala City  Guatemala 1538 Monastery Oldest extant building in Guatemala. In ruins.[22]
Iglesia de San Francisco Bogotá  Colombia 1557–1566 Church Oldest extant building in Colombia.[23]
Castillo de la Real Fuerza Havana  Cuba 1558–1577 Fortification Oldest extant building in Cuba.
Metropolitan Cathedral of Sucre Sucre  Bolivia 1559-1712 Cathedral Oldest extant building in Bolivia.[24]
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción Izalco  El Salvador 1569 Church Oldest extant building in El Salvador. In ruins.[25]
La Asunción Cathedral La Asunción  Venezuela 1571 Cathedral Oldest extant building in Venezuela.[26]
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Concepción Ujarrás  Costa Rica 1580s Church Oldest extant building in Costa Rica. Partially restored.[27][28]

17th century
Building Image Location Country or territory First built Use Notes
Palace of the Governors Santa Fe  United States 1610–1618 Palace Oldest extant building in the contiguous United States.[29]
King's Castle Fort St. George's  Bermuda 1612 Fortification Oldest extant building in Bermuda.[30]
Iglesia de San Francisco Santiago  Chile 1618 Church Oldest extant building in Chile.[31]
Carr's Bay Gun Battery Little Bay  Montserrat 1624 Fortification Oldest extant building in Montserrat.
Fort Amsterdam Philipsburg  Sint Maarten 1631 Fortification Oldest extant building in Sint Maarten and on the island of Saint Martin.
Fort Amsterdam Willemstad  Curaçao 1634 Fortification Oldest extant building in Curaçao. Founded by the Dutch West India Company.[32]
Immaculate Conception Cathedral Comayagua  Honduras 1634–1715 Cathedral Oldest extant building in Honduras.[33][34]
Latouche House Le Carbet  Martinique 1638 Residence Oldest building in Martinique. In ruins. Located within the Martinique Zoo.
Fort Oranje Kralendijk  Bonaire 1639 Fortification Oldest extant building in Bonaire.[35]
Ursulines of Quebec Quebec City, Quebec  Canada 1641–1642 Monastery Oldest extant building in Canada. Oldest institution of learning for women in North America.[36]
St. Thomas' Lowland Church Saint Thomas Lowland Parish  Saint Kitts and Nevis 1643 Church Oldest extant building in Saint Kitts and Nevis.[37]
Biblioteca Palafoxiana Puebla City  Mexico 1646–1773 Library First and oldest public library in the Americas.[38][39][40]
Drax Hall Saint George  Barbados 1650s Residence Possibly the oldest extant building in Barbados.[41]
Fort Zeelandia Paramaribo  Suriname 1651 Fortification Oldest extant building in Suriname.[42]
St Nicholas Abbey Saint Peter  Barbados 1658 Residence Oldest extant building in Barbados with a verifiable date of construction.[43]
Fort Christian Charlotte Amelie  U.S. Virgin Islands 1672–1680 Fortification Oldest extant building in the United States Virgin Islands.
Castillo de San Marcos St. Augustine, Florida  United States 1672–1695 Fortification Oldest extant masonry fortification in the United States.
White Horse Tavern Newport, Rhode Island  United States 1673 Tavern Oldest extant tavern in the Americas.[44]
Iglesia de la Merced Panama City  Panama 1680 Church Oldest extant building in Panama.[45]
Halse Hall Clarendon Parish  Jamaica 1680 Residence Oldest extant building in Jamaica.[46][47]
St. Ignatius Church Buenos Aires  Argentina 1686-1722 Church Oldest extant building in Argentina.

18th century
Building Image Location Country or territory First built Use Notes
Grenada National Museum St. George's  Grenada 1704 Fortification Oldest extant building in Grenada. Served as a French barracks, British women's prison, hotel, warehouse, and is currently a museum.[48][49]
Mount Carmel House Saint-Claude  Guadeloupe 1726 Residence Oldest extant building in Guadeloupe.[50]
Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue Willemstad  Curaçao 1730 Synagogue Oldest extant synagogue in the Americas.[51]
Fort Saint-Joseph Fort-Liberté  Haiti 1735–1743 Fortification Oldest extant building in Haiti.[52]
Fort Montagu Nassau  Bahamas 1741–1742 Fortification Oldest extant building in the Bahamas.[53]
Fort Zeelandia Essequibo Islands-West Demerara  Guyana 1743 Fortification Oldest extant building in Guyana. In ruins.[54] Fort Kyk-Over-Al is older (built in 1616) but no longer fits the definition of a building.
Guyana Prefecture Parliament Cayenne  French Guiana 1749–1752 Monastery Oldest extant building in French Guiana. Currently serves as the seat of government of French Guiana.[55]
Court House St. John's  Antigua and Barbuda 1750 Courthouse Oldest extant building in Antigua and Barbuda.[56]
Viola House Asunción  Paraguay 1750–1758 Residence Oldest extant building in Paraguay.
Sambro Island Light Sambro Island, Nova Scotia  Canada 1758 Lighthouse Oldest extant lighthouse in the Americas.[57]
Fort James Plymouth  Trinidad and Tobago 1762 Fortification Oldest extant building in Trinidad and Tobago.[58]
Sandy Hook Light Sandy Hook, New Jersey  United States 1764 Lighthouse Oldest extant lighthouse in the United States.[59]
Fort Young Roseau  Dominica 1770 Fortification Oldest extant building in Dominica. Partially converted to a hotel in 1964.[60][61]
Fort Rodney Pigeon Island  Saint Lucia 1779–1782 Fortification Oldest extant building in Saint Lucia.[62]
Pedro St. James Castle Grand Cayman  Cayman Islands 1780 Residence Oldest extant building in the Cayman Islands. Restored in 1996.[63]
Governors' House Gustavia  Saint Barthélemy 1780 Residence Oldest extant building in Saint Barthélemy. Originally a private residence, it became the Governors' House of Saint Barthélemy in 1785.
Wallblake House The Valley  Anguilla 1787 Residence Oldest extant building in Anguilla.[64]
Fort Louis Marigot  Saint Martin 1789 Fortification Oldest extant building in Saint Martin.
Wade's Green Plantation North Caicos  Turks and Caicos Islands 1789 Residence Oldest extant building on the Turks and Caicos Islands. In ruins.[65][66]
Montevideo Metropolitan Cathedral Montevideo  Uruguay 1790–1804 Cathedral Oldest extant building in Uruguay.
Fort Zoutman Oranjestad  Aruba 1796–1798 Fortification Oldest extant building in Aruba. Founded by the Dutch West India Company.
House of Assembly Kingstown  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1798 Parliament Oldest extant building in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.[67]

19th century
Building Image Location Country or territory First built Use Notes
Russian-American Magazin Kodiak  United States 1805–1808 General store Oldest extant building of Russian origin in the Americas.[68]
St. John's Cathedral Belize City  Belize 1812–1820 Cathedral Oldest extant building in Belize.
Central Stores Stanley  Falkland Islands 1844 General store Oldest extant building in the Falkland Islands.[69]
Our Lady of Ardilliers Church Miquelon-Langlade  Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1862–1865 Church Oldest extant building in Saint Pierre and Miquelon.[70][71]

See also

References
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  4. Lizardo Tavera (2000). "Garagay". Arqueología del Perú (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 10 March 2009.
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  6. "Current Research (Kent V. Flannery)". University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology. Archived from the original on 2007-12-29. Retrieved 2005-11-18.
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  8. Larson, Laurence M. "The Church in North America (Greenland) in the Middle Ages", The Catholic Historical Review, 1919. Retrieved on 19 August 2017.
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