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PONCE, PEARL OF THE SOUTH
LATE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY ARCHITECTURE IN PONCE
Late 19th and early 20th Century Architecture in Ponce copy: Welcome
The cultural transition of Puerto Rico from an agrarian society to an industrial one provoked a mass migration from the countryside to the cities that generated a need for new housing construction. At the end of the 18th century, and especially in the 19th century, Spain promoted in Puerto Rico the development of a commercial sugarcane and coffee agriculture, with the aim to obtain economic benefits from the Island and subsidize its military stronghold in San Juan. They distributed land to landowners and indirectly facilitated export. Before, a smuggler trade scattered along the coasts of the country, now became an official trade centralized in several coastal towns.
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In compliance with the Real Orden del 9 de julio de 1867, Puerto Rico was required to submit proposal for future extensions, or ensanches of its more important towns.
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The Royal Order required two colored construction plans to regulate the construction details and scales. As part of the new plans of each town, a general urban plan and several plans with longitudinal sections and cross streets was required. Many building owners followed the proposed designs; their styles prevail today in the city of Ponce.
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Plans and proposals were drafted almost instantly for many Puerto Rican towns; but the one that had more lasting impact was Proyecto de Ensanche de Ponce. The initial responsibility for developing Ponce’s projected growth fell on a member of the Spanish Corps of Engineers, Felix Vidal D’Ors.
Late 19th and early 20th Century Architecture in Ponce copy: Text
Late 19th and early 20th Century Architecture in Ponce copy: Image
Initially, the project was focused on the realignment of streets and façades of the city. Vidal D’Ors developed a catalogue of types of intersections, to be included in the new proposed city plan. He proposed that all building corners, old and new constructions, had to be cut and chamfered at the intersection in a 45-degree angle. Up to the 1940s, most structures in Ponce built at an intersection had their own version of a chamfer or chaflán, regardless of size, construction material, building typology, or architectural style, some are even built resembling a ship’s bow.
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Another construction proposal for Ponce, was that structures and buildings had to be raised from the ground by a minimum of sixty centimeters, or 23 ½ inches, either on stilts or over perforated masonry to allow for free flow of air. At the time, the implementation of these progressive urban developments, and cultural changes led to a booming construction period. As urban settings became crowded, dated utilitarian structures gave way to new ones.
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The overall height of Ponce’s built environment increased as two-story buildings became the popular option. This phenomenon was not exclusively for Ponce nor Puerto Rico, but the whole Hispanic Caribbean, which was witnessing similar exponential growth because of similar Spanish royal ordinances. Towns expanded by extending their previously existing grids, allowing the emerging upper and middle classes to stablish their own distinctive styles. Cities started forming their own identities and therefore enhancing the public and private lives of its citizens. This enlargement led to the embellishment of the public scene. Street lightning, trams, and remodeled roads were welcomed hand in hand with paseos and boulevards. The Plaza became a gathering space where collective affairs like concerts, rallies, fairs, and even individual activities like strolling, seating, reading, were fully embraced.
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ery town and city in Puerto Rico have a historical downtown that has a Plaza or square, a church and City Hall. Ponce possess the biggest and most beautiful Plaza on in Puerto Rico, Plaza las Delicias. The history of Plaza Las Delicias dates back to as far as the creation of the first Catholic chapel in Ponce in 1670 and it is actually made up of two smaller Plazas. The north section of the square is named Plaza Luis Muñoz Rivera while the south section is called Plaza Federico Degetau. The Catedral de Nuestra Señora de La Guadalupe is located on the center of the Plaza facing West, surrounded by statues, fountains and trees. Parque de Bombas sits on the back of the Cathedral facing East. In addition to the Cathedral and the historic Firehouse, Plaza las Delicias also housed a Moorish-style Arab kiosk that was demolished in 1914. Now, on the site of the Arab kiosk lies the famous Fuente de los Leones. A regular octagon-shaped fountain bounded by a low, marble and granite wall. The fountain features four lion statues that are located on each alternating vertex of the fountain's octagonal boundary wall.
Late 19th and early 20th Century Architecture in Ponce copy: Text
Late 19th and early 20th Century Architecture in Ponce copy: Image
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