The Antiguo Casino de Ponce (English: Old Ponce Casino), or simply the Casino de Ponce, is a historic structure, built in 1922 and located in Barrio Cuarto,

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

. Originally built as a social club for Ponce's elite, it is currently used as the premier reception center of "The Noble City of Puerto Rico". The building, designed by Agustin Camilo Gonzalez in the

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

and

Neo-Rococo The Rococo Revival style emerged in Second Empire France and then was adapted in England. Revival of the rococo style was seen all throughout Europe during the 19th century within a variety of artistic modes and expression including decorative ...

styles, has a French facade and tones. It was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places 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 ...

on 28 October 1987. It is located at the corner of Marina and Luna streets. The building has been called "an icon of Ponce's architecture, history, and identity." It is owned and administered by the Ponce Municipal Government. In 1936, during the Great Depression, the Casino declared bankruptcy and shut down. It subsequently had various uses: a postal office, a public health unit, tax collector's office, and even a temporary city hall. In 1990 it was restored by the Ponce Municipal Government, and has since been used for high-ranking official municipal business. For example, it was here where the dinner to honor Prince of Asturias, His Majesty Felipe de Borbon, took place.

History

Ponce had three casinos before this one. The first Casino de Ponce was founded in 1862, on Calle Marina. It met at the location that was later (in 1911) used by Rosendo Matienzo Cintron as his law office. The organization stopped meeting due to political quarrels between the two political factions in its membership representing groups for and against the government of Spanish General Sanz, but it reformed on 19 July 1876. This second Casino de Ponce was located on the second floor of the property owned by Don Carlos Cabrera Martinez, one of the distinguished members of the Ponce high society. Their meeting location was on an elegant structure at the northeast corner of Calle Marina and Calle Cristina, facing

Plaza Las Delicias Plaza Las Delicias is the main plaza in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The square is notable for its fountains and for the various monuments it contains. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are located within the plaza ...

. The third Casino de Ponce reformed on 29 June 1897. It met next to

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 the east side of Calle Mayor, between Calle Isabel and Calle Cristina, immediately north of the theater. It moved 25 years later, in 1922, to the pompous locale at the southeast corner of Calle Marina and Calle Luna, that is the subject of this article. When built in 1922, under the sponsorship of Lucas P. Valdivieso, it was actually the replacement quarters for Ponce's exclusive club, the previous one having been destroyed by a hurricane. In addition to its original use, the building has also served as

postal office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

, a

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

unit,

tax collector A tax collector (also called a taxman) is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations. The term could also be applied to those who audit tax returns. Tax collectors are often portrayed as being evil, and in the modern wo ...

's office, and as a temporary city hall. The building was designed by Agustin Camilo Gonzalez, and the artisan works were the product of Jose Cott, Victor Cott, and Camilo Gonzalez, Jr. Local painter Don

Miguel Pou Miguel Pou Becerra (24 August 1880 – 6 May 1968) was a Puerto Rican oil canvas painter, draftsman, and art professor. Together with José Campeche and Francisco Oller, he has been called "one of Puerto Rico's greatest masters." He was an ...

was responsible for the painted tapestries. The building was restored in 1990.Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades. ''Ponce Ciudad Museo 2001.'' 2001. p. 63.

Significance

The Old Casino de Ponce stands as a reminder of the wealthy aristocracy of southern Puerto Rico in the late 19th and early 20th century.Mariano G. Coronas Castro, Certifying Official; Hector F. Santiago, State Architectural Historian, and Felix Julian del Campo, State Historian, Puerto Rico Historic Preservation Office. (San Juan, Puerto Rico) August 1987. In ''National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form''. United States Department of the Interior. National Park Service. (Washington, D.C.) Page 3. Listing Reference Number 87001818. 28 October 1987. From the architectural standpoint, the Old Casino is significant because in its structure the architect managed to incorporate the 19th century

neo-Rococo The Rococo Revival style emerged in Second Empire France and then was adapted in England. Revival of the rococo style was seen all throughout Europe during the 19th century within a variety of artistic modes and expression including decorative ...

and other architectural styles in concrete construction:"It represents a transitional point from the brick and stucco classical Spanish traditional construction to the modern, reinforced-concrete technology of the United States." From a social and cultural standpoint, the Old Casino is significant in that it expresses to this day the lifestyle of the area's wealthy families during the early decades of the 20th century. It is a reminder of how they lived and how

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

changed that lifestyle for ever. The lavish second floor ballroom was extensively used prior to WWII as the

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

meeting place for the most wealthy and influential families in Ponce and Puerto Rico. The Casino is associated with the social club that made the structure come to life, a club that has ceased to exist as today's way of life have pushed aside the lifestyle of the aristocracy of yesterday.

Physical appearance

The Casino de Ponce is a two-story, concrete structure on the southeast corner of Marina and Luna streets in the historic urban center of Ponce. The area of the lot on which it sits measures approximately 38 X 36 meters. It has a chamfered corner at the intersection of the two streets. The architectural style is

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

-like, including its main

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

and

mansard A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...

roof. Most of the building as it exists today is part of the original structure, the exception being a few of the ground level doors.Mariano G. Coronas Castro, Certifying Official; Hector F. Santiago, State Architectural Historian, and Felix Julian del Campo, State Historian, Puerto Rico Historic Preservation Office. (San Juan, Puerto Rico) August 1987. In ''National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form''. United States Department of the Interior. National Park Service. (Washington, D.C.) Page 2. Listing Reference Number 87001818. 28 October 1987.

Facades

The building consists of three facades: a northern facade with five bays, a western facade with seven bays, and a single-bay chamfered facade at the intersection of the two other facades.

North facade

The main entry to the building is via Bay 3 on the north facade at Luna Street. The architectural details on this facade are markedly Spanish- baroque. There is a frontispiece that includes Tuscan columns and

pilaster In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...

s supporting an architrave and blind-arch tympanum above. The

spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame; between the tops of two adjacent arches or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fill ...

and tympanum areas are terminated in highly detailed

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...

reliefs. The other bays (1, 2, 4, and 5) on the northern facade consist of simpler, narrow, arch openings capped by hood-moulds and keystones. At the upper level of the same facade, the three central bays are articulated as wide, square openings with Tuscan half-columns within, supporting the lintel at either extreme. Bays 1 and 5 are each articulated by a quoined surround and an angular

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

, supported by brackets and decorated with an ornamental relief tympanum.

West facade

The seven-bay Marina Street facade (the west facade) consists of an ABABA rhythm in which unit A is identical to bays 1 and 5 of the north facade. Unit B consists of ground-storey bays with wider, circular-arch openings and rectangular upper-level openings with quoined surrounds and

voussoir A voussoir () is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault. Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The ...

ed lintels.

Chamfered facade

The single chamfered bay is particularly ornate, as it recesses slightly and then curves outward in a baroque fashion. At the ground floor, a wide, segmental arch opening with a hood-mould accesses secondary office space. At the upper level, a rectangular doorway is crowned by an intricate cameo with angel figures on either side of it. The upper level bay is framed by Tuscan columns which spring from a string-course at the baluster level and support a projection of the building cornice.

Embellishments

The entire composition is crowned by a cornice which follows the modulation of the facade. A balustered

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...

above the cornice completes the composition. In addition, broken-scroll pediments above the parapet accentuate the composition's rhythm at the central bay of the west facade, the extreme bays of both facades, and the corner chamfer. A "

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

-tile"

roof completes the composition and accentuates the French influences of the design.

Upper level

In plan, the main entrance at the north facade accesses directly an ample stairway which leads to the upper level. At this level two large rooms serve as ballrooms: a major open space along the west wall and a smaller reception area on the north. The ground level is currently utilized as office space by a government agency. Access to these areas is through various doorways along the street wall. All upper level bays open out onto individual balustered

balconies A balcony (from it, balcone, "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. Types The traditional Maltese balcony is ...

, except for bays 2 and 3 and bays 5 and 6 of the west facade, which share wider, two-bay balconies. The chamfered bay contains a semi-elliptical balcony which smoothly turns the corner of the two facades.

Today

Today the entire first floor of the building accommodates offices of the Ponce municipal government. The Casino belongs to the people of the municipality of Ponce. The government promotes it as "the ballroom of excellence in the southern region of Puerto Rico," (Spanish: "Salon de Recepcion por Excelencia en el Area Sur") and the government makes it available for social and business events.''Antiguo Casino de Ponce: Nuestras Facilidades.'' (Brochure) Government of the Municipality of Ponce. 10 pages. Available at the Casino walk-in office.

Facilities

Event facilities are all located on the second floor. Access to the second floor facilities is via a wide wooden stairway accessible from the Luna street facade. The second-floor Casino facilities include four main rooms. The ''Felices Dias'' ballroom is the largest at 70' x 40.5', and it faces west. It accommodates 300 people. The ''Impromptu Room'' faces north and is located next to the bar. It is commonly used as the buffet dinner food area. The third room, ''Tu y Yo'' (English: You and I), and informally known as the Blue Room for the color on its walls, faces south and is used only for events consisting of more than 150 guests. The chamfered corner of the building has a smaller, more intimate room than the others, appropriately called ''The Chamfered Room''. It has five doors, including three interior doors plus two exterior doors including the chamfered door. Other second floor facilities are the kitchen, bar, restrooms, a 16' x 16'

balcony A balcony (from it, balcone, "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. Types The traditional Maltese balcony ...

and a south-facing

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk an ...

. Casino guests also have access to a spacious

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

on the ground floor featuring a central water fountain. Access to the first floor courtyard is either from a street entrance on Luna street, via an open exterior second-floor stairway that leads directly to the courtyard, or via the elevator, which opens to the exterior, but covered, hallway next to the courtyard.

References

External links

Photo of the north side of the Third Casino de Ponce (far left, building with green roof) in 1910, looking ENE

Photo of the program's frontcover for the 9 February 1929 "Baile de Primaveras" (Springtime Dance) at Casino de Ponce
* {{NRHP in Ponce, Puerto Rico National Register of Historic Places in Ponce, Puerto Rico 1922 establishments in Puerto Rico Cultural infrastructure completed in 1922 Barrio Cuarto Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico Second Empire architecture