The House of the Cord (Calle Isabel La Católica at Emiliano Tejera, 8:15 a.m.–4 p.m. daily, free) is the first European residence in the western hemisphere, built in 1502 by an explorer, Francisco de Garay, who accompanied Columbus on his first voyage. It later belonged to Diego Columbus and his wife before he built the Alcázar de Columbus.
It is also the alleged spot where Drake went to a forced lineup of the women of Santo Domingo; he then collected all of their fine jewelry as part of the ransom for leaving Santo Domingo [1].
It is named for the stonework on the facade of the house of a sash and cord. The house is now home to the Banco Popular. The part that you can actually visit is the lobby and into the courtyard.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/dominican-republic/santo-domingo