Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Though the dam crest is long gone, the tower still stands.
Den Hvide Jomfru (The White Maiden)
The front of the mosque.
Şakirin Mosque
Ornate decorations are part of some of the music boxes.
Terranova Music Box Museum
Take some of Michigan’s produce home with you.
American Spoon
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Take some of Michigan’s produce home with you.
American Spoon
The local catch is delicious fried as well.
Terry's of Charlevoix
Carlson’s Fishery is a Great Lakes institution.
Carlson’s Fishery
Books are available inside for borrowing or purchase.
Cathedral Café
Exterior of the historic Dyffryn Arms pub.
Dyffryn Arms
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Cely’s map is not only accurate, but captures the unique characteristics of Congaree’s trees and waterways.
How One Biologist Drew a Hyper-Accurate, Ranger-Approved Map of Congaree National Park
Though they’re protected inside the park, wolves can be killed when they cross its borders.
Wolves Have a Bad Reputation. One Yellowstone Naturalist Is Trying to Fix It.
Passersby stop to admire the punny offerings of Brooklyn’s only dinosaur bodega.
We Visited the Dino Bodega in (Jurassic) Park Slope
Native Americans have a longstanding, rich, and vibrant culture in Wyoming.
Wyoming’s Sacred Landscapes: A Journey Through Native American History

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Puerto Rico San Juan La Casa Estrecha (The Narrow House)

La Casa Estrecha (The Narrow House)

This tiny home was originally a narrow alleyway.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Added By
Amber Snider
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
La Casa Estrecha.   Courtesy of architect Antonio Álvarez/used with permission
  bdurance / Atlas Obscura User
Front doorway of La Casa Estrecha.   Courtesy of architect Antonio Álvarez/used with permission
La Casa Estrecha.   Courtesy of architect Antonio Álvarez/used with permission
Visitors at the Narrow House.   Courtesy of architect Antonio Álvarez/used with permission
La Casa Estrecha.   Courtesy of architect Antonio Álvarez/used with permission
Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 pride. Flags abound.   Respectful Restoration / Atlas Obscura User
  shuchitapoddar / Atlas Obscura User
La Casa Estrecha   mbradley47 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

If you find yourself walking the streets of Old San Juan, you may be surprised to come across an extraordinarily slim, two-story house known as La Casa Estrecha. Measuring a mere five feet, three inches across, the house was once a neglected alleyway before it was transformed into a habitable abode by architect Antonio Álvarez.

Ensconced between two regular-sized buildings, “The Narrow House” draws visitors to tour its surprising dimensions. Its facade features a vibrant yellow hue and a lush green door, making it very hard to miss! Álvarez bought the house when it was a “complete ruin” and according to this video, the design is all his own.

Despite its slim stature, the house has all the basic amenities of a home, including a living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. The bathroom’s design, however, is a bit tricky: without enough space for a separate shower area, the floor was fitted with a drain under the sink area, so all the washing goes down in one spot.

“It was a great challenge to design this space because the stairways [had to be placed] in very strategic parts,” Álvarez says on the video tour. The custom stairwell features alternate steps that extend the height of the house, because traditional steps just wouldn’t work in such narrow settings. Today, Álvarez uses the house as a gallery to showcase local artwork. 

It may be the narrowest house around, but a small balcony on the top floor opens to reveal a magnificent wide-angle view of the San Juan Bay and the colorful streets of Old San Juan below.

Related Tags

Houses Architectural Oddities Alleyways Art Gallery Architecture Homes

Know Before You Go

The best hours for a tour are between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday. Call in advance for an appointment. There’s a $5 suggested donation for touring the house. 

Community Contributors

Added By

Amber C Snider

Edited By

mbradley47, Respectful Restoration, bdurance, shuchitapoddar

  • mbradley47
  • Respectful Restoration
  • bdurance
  • shuchitapoddar

Published

June 17, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/skinny-house-architecture
  • https://www.insider.com/narrow-houses-around-the-world-2016-7#la-casa-estrecha-in-old-san-juan-puerto-rico-3
La Casa Estrecha (The Narrow House)
101 Calle de Tetuan
San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00902
United States
18.46395, -66.117435
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud (Chapel of the Holy Christ of Health)

San Juan, Puerto Rico

miles away

Parque De Las Palomas (Pigeon Park)

San Juan, Puerto Rico

miles away

La Puerta de San Juan

San Juan, Puerto Rico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Juan

San Juan

Puerto Rico

Places 9

Nearby Places

Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud (Chapel of the Holy Christ of Health)

San Juan, Puerto Rico

miles away

Parque De Las Palomas (Pigeon Park)

San Juan, Puerto Rico

miles away

La Puerta de San Juan

San Juan, Puerto Rico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Juan

San Juan

Puerto Rico

Places 9

Related Places

  • The Staple Street Skybridge in Tribeca.

    New York, New York

    Staple Street Skybridge

    Imagine having a street run right through your home, or better yet, a historic bridge three stories high.

  • Castel Meur

    Plougrescant, France

    Castel Meur

    A small house sits between two huge rocks, with its back to the sea.

  • Interior of 575 Wandsworth

    London, England

    575 Wandsworth Road

    What started as a way to address damp basement walls turned into a house filled with intricate hand-carved designs.

  • Barbara Hutton’s Japanese palace, in the shadow of the volcano Popocatépetl.

    Jiutepec, Mexico

    Camino Real Sumiya

    The tragic heiress Barbara Woolworth Hutton built her seventh husband this Japanese-inspired palace in Mexico.

  • Backyard.

    Taxco, Mexico

    Casa Figueroa

    This "cursed house" features secret rooms, hidden vaults, and dark escape tunnels.

  • The Hermit House.

    Herzliya, Israel

    The Hermit House

    This marvelous work of outsider architecture is built into the cliffs of an Israeli beach.

  • The southward-facing entrance of the house.

    Jamestown, Rhode Island

    Conanicut Island Lighthouse

    This storybook New England home is actually a decommissioned lighthouse.

  • Image of the residence/studio.

    Albuquerque, New Mexico

    Bart Prince Residence and Studio

    It's easy to see why this eclectic architectural wonder has been dubbed the "Spaceship House."

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.