Barrio Amón is San José's most architecturally distinguished neighbourhood, occupying the streets northeast of the city centre. The mansions here were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by coffee merchants and foreign businessmen who hired European architects or ordered facades from catalogues of Belle Époque ornament. The result is an extraordinary concentration of Victorian gingerbread, Art Nouveau ironwork, and neoclassical columns on what are otherwise unremarkable tropical streets.
The neighbourhood has gentrified steadily since the 2000s. Former mansions now house boutique hotels, art galleries, and upscale restaurants. Calle 7 is the main axis, but the parallel streets are worth exploring — there are surprises around most corners. The atmosphere is quieter and more residential than the city centre, with considerably less street hassle.