The waterfront streets of San Pedro hold a remarkable collection of 19th and early 20th century buildings that speak to the city's sugar boom prosperity. British West Indian immigrants and Dominican sugar barons built in a style that mixed Victorian, neo-Gothic, and Caribbean vernacular elements, and a surprising number of these buildings survive — some immaculately restored, others crumbling romantically behind overgrown gardens.
The old Club Unión building near the central park is one of the finest examples. Walk the streets around the Malecón and south of the cathedral to find ornate ironwork balconies, stained glass transoms, and wooden gingerbread trim that feel entirely out of place in the tropics and all the more striking for it. The city has not packaged this as a heritage trail — you simply walk and look, which makes the discovery feel more genuine.