Ponce Servicios facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ponce Servicios |
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Ponce Servicios, in Ponce, Puerto Rico, looking Northwest
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| General information | |
| Status | In Service - In Use |
| Type | Originally, marketplace; Today, government offices |
| Architectural style | Brutalist |
| Location | Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Construction started | 1980 |
| Completed | 1981 |
| Opening | 1981 |
| Renovated | 2007 |
| Cost | $10,000,000 ($32.2 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Owner | Government of the municipality of Ponce |
| Height | |
| Architectural | 60 ft (18.3 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | approx 200,000 sq ft (18,581 m2) |
| Lifts/elevators | 5 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Octavio Rodríguez Jr. (1975) |
| Developer | Government of Puerto Rico |
Ponce Servicios, once known as Plaza del Mercado Juan Bigas, is a large, strong-looking building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is the biggest building in Ponce based on how much ground it covers. It is also the only building that takes up an entire city block.
This building was constructed in 1981. Its main purpose was to offer a modern, air-conditioned space for sellers and shoppers. This was needed because the older, historic Plaza del Mercado Isabel II building was getting old and needed repairs. When it first opened, the new building was named Plaza del Mercado Juan Bigas. This name honored Juan Bigas Moulins, a well-known businessman from Ponce.
When the new market opened, some fruit and vegetable sellers from the old Plaza del Mercado Isabel II moved in. However, many did not. Some thought the rent was too high. Others felt the new building did not have the friendly feel of the old market. They also believed it did not show the city's important history like the old Art Deco style building did.
Despite these concerns, the new building served as a market for fruits and vegetables for 26 years, until 2007. That year, the repairs on the older Isabel II building were finished. The sellers then moved back to the restored Isabel II building. The Plaza del Mercado Juan Bigas building was left empty. From then on, it was simply called the Juan Bigas Building.
The Juan Bigas building remained empty for three years, until 2010. In that year, the Government of Puerto Rico gave the building to the Ponce Municipal Government. The city government then fixed up the building. It was no longer called Plaza del Mercado Juan Bigas, but just Edificio Juan Bigas (Juan Bigas Building). It was prepared to be used as offices for several city agencies. In October 2013, the Ponce Municipal Government reopened the building. It became a place where people could go to get many different city services. It was given its new name: "Ponce Servicios" (Ponce Services).
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Where is Ponce Servicios Located?
The Ponce Servicios building is found in the area surrounded by Guadalupe, Salud, Estrella, and Mayor streets. Its exact location is N 18.01582 W 66.61212. A long time ago, the Teatro Apolo (Apolo Theater) used to be in this very spot.
The Story of Ponce Servicios
The history of the Ponce Servicios building can be split into two main periods. First, it was a market for farmers selling fruits and vegetables. Second, it became a building for city government offices.
The Juan Bigas Market Years
From 1863 to 1981, the main city market in Ponce was located in the Plaza del Mercado Isabel II building. Because that old building was getting worn out, a new building was constructed to serve as the farmers' market.
In 1981, this new building was finished. It was located two blocks east of the Isabel II building. It was named Plaza del Mercado Juan Bigas. Farmers sold their fruits and vegetables from this new building. The Juan Bigas building was used as Ponce's city market for 26 years, until 2007. However, it was never fully used during this time, and some spaces remained empty.
The new building was first called "Plaza del Mercado de Ponce." But people were so used to the old market's name that the new one was renamed "Plaza del Mercado Juan Bigas." This helped everyone know it was a different place. The goal of the new building was to replace the old, but historic, Plaza del Mercado Isabel II building.
Meanwhile, the Plaza del Mercado Isabel II building began to be restored in 1980. It even got air conditioning for the first time! It reopened in 1989. However, the new businesses there were not fruit and vegetable sellers. Instead, stores like the Puerto Rican department store Pitusa opened there in 1984.
So, for 23 years (from 1984 to 2007), both buildings were in use. The Juan Bigas building continued to host fruit and vegetable sellers. The Isabel II building had the Pitusa department store and various handcrafts shops. In August 2007, Pitusa left the Isabel II location. Their old space was remodeled. The shopkeepers from the Juan Bigas building then moved back to the historic Isabel II building. This left the Juan Bigas building empty.
Since the Juan Bigas building belonged to the state government, not the city, a change was needed. On June 28, 2010, Governor Luis Fortuño signed a document. This document officially gave ownership of the Plaza del Mercado de Ponce Juan Bigas building to the Ponce Municipal Government.
The Municipal Services Era
On April 7, 2011, the city government announced a big plan. They would spend $10 million to remodel the Juan Bigas building. Their goal was to turn it into a center for municipal services, which they called "Ponce Servicios." This new center would house many different city offices. The cost to remodel the old Juan Bigas building for city services was expected to be around $6.828 million. A news report from July 27, 2011, said that work on the building would start in October 2011 and might cost $15 million.
A news report from June 26, 2013, shared exciting news. The renovations were finished! The first two floors of the building were set to open by the end of July 2013. Several city offices were planned to move into the building. These included the Office of Permits, the Office of Territorial Planning, the Office of Municipal Housing, the Archivo Histórico de Ponce (Ponce Historical Archive), the Federal Ryan White Program Office, and the Municipal Bank. The building was officially named "Ponce Servicios." It reopened in August 2013, now serving as a hub for many city services.
Building Size and Cost
The Ponce Servicios building is 5 stories tall. It cost $10 million to build. It is the building with the largest ground area in Ponce. The building was damaged during the 2020 Puerto Rico earthquake.
