Gazcue is the historic residential neighbourhood immediately northwest of the Zona Colonial, built largely in the early 20th century as the city's elite moved away from the colonial core. It is characterized by large neoclassical and art deco houses set back from tree-lined streets, many of which have been converted into embassies, NGO offices, and guesthouses.
The neighbourhood is the most pleasant part of Santo Domingo to walk in outside the Zona Colonial — the scale is human, the streets are shaded, and the architecture is varied and often beautiful. The Plaza de la Cultura is in Gazcue, as are several good restaurants and the small Parque Independencia at the neighbourhood's southern edge, where the remains of the founding fathers of the Dominican Republic are interred.