Ponce City Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Casa Alcaldía de Ponce – City Hall
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Casa Alcaldía de Ponce
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 Location in Puerto Rico
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| Location | Calle Degetau, Ponce, Puerto Rico |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1846 |
| Architect | Francisco Gil Capó |
| Architectural style | Neoclásico Isabelino |
| MPS | 19th Century Civil Architecture in Ponce TR (AD) |
| NRHP reference No. | 86003197 |
| Added to NRHP | 19 November 1986 |
The Ponce City Hall (Spanish: Casa Alcaldía de Ponce) is a very old and important building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It's like the main office for the city's government. You can find it right in the middle of the city, on Calle Degetau, across from Plaza Degetau. This area is part of the Ponce Historic Zone, which is full of interesting old buildings.
The City Hall is where the Mayor of Ponce and other city leaders work. They make decisions about how the city is run. The building was first built in 1840, making it the oldest colonial building in Ponce. Because of its history, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
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A Look at Ponce City Hall's Past
The Ponce City Hall has a very interesting past. For a long time, until the late 1800s, it was actually a jail! The rooms that are now offices used to be jail cells.
Many important people have visited this building. Four U.S. presidents have been there. Three of them even gave speeches from the front balcony. These presidents were Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin Roosevelt. George H. W. Bush also visited the City Hall.
Building Design and Construction
Work on the Ponce City Hall began in 1844 and finished in 1847. A person named Francisco Gil Capó was in charge of the building's design and engineering. The mayor at the time, Salvador de Vives, also helped oversee the project.
People say the outside of the building has "simple but elegant lines." A large clock on the front of the building was bought from England in 1877. This was around the time Queen Isabel II of Spain officially made Ponce a city. Inside, the building has two courtyards, which were common in buildings from that time. A big staircase leads to the main hall where the city's lawmakers meet and to the mayor's office.
Why Ponce City Hall is Important
By 1848, the Spanish settlement of Ponce had grown a lot. Because of this, Queen Isabel II officially recognized it as a city. The building of the City Hall happened at the same time. This makes the building a special landmark that reminds us of Ponce's founding.
As the first government building in the city, its design shows its important role. It even has some strong, defensive features, like thick walls, similar to the Royal Palace (La Fortaleza) in San Juan. The building's style is called Neoclassical Isabelino. This was a popular Spanish style in the 1800s. It showed the importance of the growing wealthy families in Ponce.
Old Spanish laws from the 1500s said that towns in the Americas should be built around a main plaza. The church would face west, and the town hall (or "Cabildo") would be across from or next to it. This showed the important roles of both the church and the government. The Ponce City Hall is on the south side of the main plaza. It perfectly shows this Spanish idea of a town square.
Even though the inside of the building has changed over the years to fit the city's needs, the outside still looks much like it did originally. The Ponce City Hall, along with the Ponce Cathedral in the town plaza, is a key part of Ponce's historic city design.
What Ponce City Hall Looks Like
The building is made of plastered masonry and is located on the south side of Plaza Degetau. It takes up the middle of the block between Calle Marina and Calle Cristina. Its simple, balanced look is typical of Spanish government buildings from the 1800s.
The front of the building has two stories and five main sections. The middle three sections stick out a little bit. On the ground floor, there's a unique feature: a continuous, projecting base that makes the building look like a strong fortification wall. The main entrance is a wide, rectangular opening with a decorative arch. This entrance is highlighted by columns on each side that support a balcony.
The other openings on the ground floor, except for two, have tall, wooden double doors with louvre panels. The main entrance has decorative wrought-iron railings. On the upper level, there are small balconies with railings. The windows are framed and have separate moldings above them.
A continuous ledge and a low wall run across the top of the facade. Above the central section, there's a decorative part with a clock. This clock is surrounded by small columns and supported by scroll shapes. A weather vane sits above the clock, making the front of the building look even more balanced.
Current Uses of the Building
Today, the Ponce City Hall is used for many things besides government offices. It's often the starting point for various activities and events. For example, the famous annual Ponce Carnival often begins here.
Where to Find Ponce City Hall
The City Hall faces Plaza Las Delicias, which is the main town square of Ponce. This plaza is home to other historic buildings like the Parque de Bombas and the Ponce Cathedral. The street the City Hall is on is called Calle Degetau.
In 1905, the Ponce City Hall was taller than all the buildings around it. Today, the Ponce City Hall complex includes the buildings next to it, which used to be Moscoso & Co. and El Cometa. The city's lawmakers now use the old El Cometa building. This building was once one of Ponce's biggest general stores. The Moscoso building is now used for the mayor's executive offices.
So, the original City Hall building is now connected to these other buildings. The old Moscoso building is to its west, and the former El Cometa building is to its east. Both are now part of the city government offices. Inside the Casa Alcaldía de Ponce, you can find a painting of Spain's Regent Queen, María Cristina de Habsburgo-Lorena.
