The Cardona Residence is one of Aguadilla's best-preserved historic homes, a late 19th-century building that represents the domestic architecture of prosperous Puerto Rican families in the final years of Spanish colonial rule. The design combines Spanish colonial conventions — thick masonry walls, shaded galleries, a central courtyard orientation — with decorative details that reflect the period's European influences. It sits on a quiet street in the old town, close to the main plaza.
The building is primarily of interest from the outside, as it is privately owned and not regularly open for tours. Even so, it is worth seeking out if you are walking through the old town. The facade details, the proportions of the windows, and the relationship between the building and the street give a clear sense of how the town's merchant class lived in the 1800s. It is a short walk from the courthouse-museum and the church.