Casa Rosita Serrallés (Spanish for ''Rosita Serrallés Residence'') is a historic building in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, located between the former ''Escuela Libre de Música Juan Morel Campos'' and the

Museo de la Historia de Ponce The Museo de la Historia de Ponce (Museum of the History of Ponce) is a museum located in the historic Casa Salazar-Candal in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The museum depicts the city's ecology, economy, architecture, government, and elements o ...

, and immediately behind

Teatro La Perla Teatro La Perla is a historic theater in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Inaugurated in 1864, it is the second oldest theater of its kind in Puerto Rico, but "the largest and most historic in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean." The theater was name ...

, on Calle Salud street. It was built for one of the heirs of Juan Eugenio Serrallés Perez, son of businessman

Juan Serrallés Colón Juan Eugenio Serrallés Colón (1836–1921) was the founder of Hacienda Mercedita in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and what was to become Destileria Serralles, producers of " Don Q", a brand of Puerto Rican rum. Family and early years Juan Serrallés ...

, founder of

Destilería Serrallés Destilería Serrallés is a rum producer located in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and best known for its Don Q rum brand. The company is Puerto Rico's oldest family-owned company and has revenues of over 100 million dollars. In 2011, it was responsible f ...

, and himself the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the company that founded Ron Don Q. The building was purchased by the government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce in 2008 for its architectural, historic, and cultural value. As of February 2012, the building was being restored to convert it into an annex of the

to depict the 1985 Mameyes tragedy of barrio

Portugues Urbano Portugues and variants may refer to: *Portugués, Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, a barrio *Portugués Rural or just Portugués, one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico *Portugués Urbano, one of the 31 barrios in the municipality ...

in Ponce. In 2014 it opened as "Museo de la Recordacion Barrio Mameyes" (Barrio Mameyes Memorial Museum) under Ponce mayor

María Meléndez María Eloisa Meléndez Altieri (born December 26, 1951) also known as Mayita, is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 2009 to 2021. Meléndez Altieri was elected during the Puerto Rican gen ...

at Calle Salud 67. It is also known as "Sala Memorial del Barrio Mameyes" as it operates as a part of the

History

In 1979 the house became the home of Rosita Serrallés Sánchez and her husband Guillermo Torruella Fornaris. Rosita and Guillermo had been living at the more spacious hilltop

Castillo Serrallés Castillo Serrallés (English: Serralles Castle) is a mansion located in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, overlooking the downtown area ( Ponce Pueblo). It was built during the 1930s for Juan Eugenio Serrallés, son of businessman Juan Serrall ...

mansion until Guillermo fell ill in 1979. Rosita Serrallés Sánchez was the daughter of Juan Eugenio Serrallés and Rosa María Sánchez, the couple that ordered the building of the spacious Castillo Serralles on the El Vigia Hill in Ponce. Upon Juan Eugenio and Rosa Maria's death, Rosita and Guillermo came to occupy the big hilltop mansion. In 2008, the municipality of Ponce purchased the house from Rosa María ("Rosita") Torruella Serrallés, and her two brothers, Alberto J. Torruella Serrallés and Guillermo J. Torruella Serrallés. It was purchased for $364,807, under the administration of mayor

Francisco Zayas Seijo Francisco R. Zayas Seijo, also known as Ico (born 4 October 1951), is a former member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. During his 4-year mayoral term, Zayas Seijo established the Mariana ...

. In 2014 it opened as "Museo de la Recordacion Barrio Mameyes" under Ponce mayor

at Calle Salud 67. It is also known as "Sala Memorial del Barrio Mameyes" as it operates as a part of the

Location

The house is located on the west side of Salud Street between Cristina and Isabel Streets, next to the

Juan Morel Campos Juan Morel Campos (16 May 1857 – 12 May 1896), sometimes erroneously spelled ''Juan Morell Campos'', was a Puerto Rican composer, considered by many to be responsible for taking the genre of danza to its highest level. He composed over ...

Music Institute, in the Ponce Historic Zone. The location of the house, together with its historic significance, courtyard, and architectural details, make it unique among other Puerto Rican homes. The structure is located on the same block as the historic

and the

Ponce History Museum The Museo de la Historia de Ponce (Museum of the History of Ponce) is a museum located in the historic Casa Salazar-Candal in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The museum depicts the city's ecology, economy, architecture, government, and elements o ...

. With the acquisition of this property by the city, the municipal government has termed the block within the Mayor, Cristina, Salud, and Isabel streets, the ''Plaza de la Cultura de Ponce'' (Plaza of Ponce Culture).

Significance

Casa Rosita Serrallés was built as the exclusive residence of the heirs of Don Eugenio Serrallés, a leader in the sugar cane industry during the early part of the 20th century. The building is significant from the architectural, historical, and cultural perspectives. Architecturally, the building represents an example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, a style first introduced in Puerto Rico by the architect

Pedro Adolfo de Castro Pedro Adolfo de Castro (1895–1936) was a twentieth-century architect from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Early years He was born Pedro Adolfo de Castro Besosa in January 1895, in Brooklyn, New York, to Pedro De Castro (1867 - 1928; from Ceiba, Puer ...

. Historically, the building is a reminder of the cultural and economic changes that southern Puerto Rico experienced in the 1920s. "Ponce's dependence on the sugar cane industry at the close of the nineteenth century, created an atmosphere of development from which evolved a series of intrinsic cultural characteristics and afforded great wealth to many families involved in the industry. The wealthy families generally chose Europe as the model for the direction that cultural endeavors would take." Culturally, the building is important because it was the downtown residence of one of the wealthiest families in 19th-century Puerto Rico, and one that so much influenced its economy. The original hill-top residence of the family was Castillo Serralles, today a historic structure listed in the

NRHP The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The Casa Rosita Serralles structure was acquired by the city of Ponce "to increase its cultural holdings." The

Institute of Puerto Rican Culture The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture ( es, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña), or ICP, for short, is an institution of the Government of Puerto Rico responsible for the establishment of the cultural policies required in order to study, preser ...

is expected to aid in the restoration of the residence.

Physical characteristics

The house is a single floor building. Access to the main entrance of the house is from the front Calle Salud street. The building has a short front facade but its east-to-west axis is articulated as a relatively long structure. It was built in 1926 by local architect Alfredo Wiechers Pieretti. It includes a large back courtyard. The building was constructed entirely of concrete. The residence was designed in a style popular in the 1910s for representing Spanish Mediterranean influence. Prominent throughout the building is the use of red roof tiles. This accent is also present on all other rooftops. The exterior of the buildings is finished in

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

Intended Use

As of February 2012, the building was being restored to convert it into an annex of the

which is to depict the 1985 Mameyes tragedy of barrio

in Ponce.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Casa Rosita Serralles Historic house museums in Puerto Rico Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in Puerto Rico Houses completed in 1926 History of sugar Museums in Ponce, Puerto Rico 2014 establishments in Puerto Rico 1926 establishments in Puerto Rico Museums established in 2014