Casa Vives facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Casa Vives
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Casa Vives in 2017
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 Location in Puerto Rico
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| Location | 88 Paseo Atocha at Calle Castillo Ponce, Puerto Rico |
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| Area | 1,174 square meters (12,640 sq ft) |
| Built | 1860 |
| Architect | Juan Bertoly Carderoni |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| NRHP reference No. | 13000013 |
| Added to NRHP | 13 February 2013 |
Casa Vives (Vives House) is a very old and important building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It stands across from the old market building. This house was designed by Juan Bertoli Calderoni for Carlos Vives. Carlos Vives was a well-known local merchant and owned a large farm called Hacienda Buena Vista.
The house was built in 1860. It was one of the first brick and stone homes in Ponce. Its style is called Neoclassical. Casa Vives was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 2013. This means it is a special place worth protecting.
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What is Casa Vives?
Casa Vives is a large, two-story building shaped like the letter "L". It is made of brick and stone. You can find it at 88 Paseo Atocha, on the corner of Castillo Street. This is in the old part of Ponce. The house has a flat roof and was built in 1860.
Experts believe Juan Bertoli Calderoni designed it. Carlos Milan built it. Casa Vives is one of the best-preserved 19th-century houses in Puerto Rico. Its beautiful details and strong materials show how important it was. It represents the fancy homes of wealthy families in the 1800s. These families wanted their homes to show their success.
Why is its Location Special?
Casa Vives is on a very important corner. Its main entrance faces Atocha Street, a busy shopping area. The long side of the building faces Castillo Street. This street is also important for business. It is right across from the old Plaza del Mercado (market square).
In the 1800s, rich families in Ponce used their homes to show their social status. They wanted to impress others with their buildings. This made Ponce's architecture unique. Unlike Old San Juan, where houses looked similar, Ponce's homes were all different. Each family tried to make their house stand out. Casa Vives is a great example of this idea. Wealthy families saw their homes as a gift to the city. They wanted to make Ponce more beautiful and grand.
How is Casa Vives Designed?
Casa Vives was built for two purposes: business and living. Because of this, the outside of the building looks different on each floor.
The First Floor: Shops and Business
The first floor was used for shops and businesses. It has a simpler design. The doors and windows are framed with decorative moldings and pilasters. These look like Tuscan columns. A flat, plain band runs above the first floor. This clearly separates the business area from the homes above.
Inside, the original floors were replaced with local tiles. Some ceilings have fancy pressed tin panels. Other parts show the original strong wooden beams. These beams support the floor of the second level. The brick walls are exposed in many areas. Each business space has its own service room.
The first floor has many large glass windows and doors. These face Castillo Street and Paseo Atocha. All three business areas have access to a narrow backyard. A brick wall separates this area from a large garden-like patio. This patio is only for the residents upstairs. There is also an arched wooden gate that leads to a carport. In the 1860s, this was for horse stagecoaches. Later, it held early cars like the Model T and Model A.
The Second Floor: Family Home
The second floor is where the family lived. You enter through a double wooden gate on Paseo Atocha. Inside, there is a grand hallway with a very high ceiling. The walls are decorated with beautiful stencils. A Roman arch leads to a magnificent marble staircase. It has bronze handrails.
At the top of the stairs, there are two fancy iron gates. One leads to the second floor. The other leads to the patio. One gate has the letters "CV" for Carlos Vives, the original owner. Another marble staircase then takes you up to the main living area.
The second floor has 15 rooms. These include bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and a studio. The kitchen even has an original 19th-century stove! The rooms are arranged in an L-shape. The bedrooms and kitchen face Castillo Street. This is the more private part of the house.
Many rooms have a special double door system. First, there's a wooden door with adjustable louvers. Then, a solid mahogany double door. This design helps with air circulation.
A long, narrow gallery connects the rooms. It has wooden balustrades and movable shutters. These provide shade and air, which is important in Ponce's hot climate. The house has very high ceilings (14 to 15 feet). This allows hot air to rise. Decorated holes in the ceiling let hot air out through the roof. This keeps the house cool. Most rooms connect to each other with double doors. This also helps air move freely.
The walls in the house are decorated with hand-painted designs. They show geometric patterns and classic motifs like garlands and columns. The floors are made of wooden planks. The gallery floor has hydraulic cement tiles. The ceilings are also decorated with painted designs.
The Backyard and Patio
The L-shape of the building creates a hidden, green interior patio. You can reach it from the main hallway or the carport. There's also a brick staircase from the upper level. In 2013, the patio looked a bit abandoned. But it still has a beautiful marble staircase, just like the one inside. Old family photos show the Vives family often used this staircase and a water fountain in the patio. There are also two small buildings that were once used by the house staff.
The Roof and Outside Features
The roof is made of thin bricks. It is surrounded by a three-foot high parapet wall. The roof has special ventilation structures. The way the roof drains rainwater is also very clever. It slopes slightly to direct water into drainage holes. This water then goes into a well in the patio. This shows the amazing skill of the builders from the 1860s.
Why is Casa Vives Important?
Amazing Craftsmanship
Casa Vives is important because it shows excellent 19th-century craftsmanship. It teaches us about the building methods and techniques used back then. It also shows how cities like Ponce grew and developed. The house reflects the dreams and social standing of wealthy families in the 1800s. They wanted their homes to make a statement.
Ponce's Growth and Trade
Casa Vives is linked to Ponce's growth in the 1800s. Ponce started as a small town. But by 1878, it was a busy city with many streets and houses. This growth happened because of Ponce's strong farming and trading activities.
Ponce's port, opened in 1804, was very important. It helped the city become a major center for international trade. Ponce exported a lot of goods, even more than San Juan at one point.
Many wealthy families moved to Ponce during this time. They came from places like Venezuela. They started large farms, especially for sugarcane. Don Salvador de Vives, Carlos Vives's father, arrived in Ponce in 1821. His family became very important in the city.
The sugar industry led to the use of enslaved people for labor. In Ponce, many enslaved people worked on sugar farms like the Vives family's Hacienda Buena Vista.
Ponce's strong economy attracted many people. Businessmen, landowners, and skilled workers like carpenters and artisans came to the city. They helped build and shape Ponce's beautiful landscape. Ponce became the richest city in Puerto Rico.
Social Importance
Casa Vives's location and grand design sent a clear message. It showed the high social and financial status of its owner. It was a way for the Vives family to stand out from other wealthy people. It was also seen as a "gift" to the community. It helped create pride in the city for future generations. Casa Vives is still one of the best examples of this social context in Puerto Rico.
Damage from the 2020 Earthquake
The building was significantly damaged in January 2020. This happened during the 2020 Puerto Rico earthquake.
