Rafael Carmoega Morales (1894–1968) was a Puerto Rican

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

from

Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

.University of Puerto Rico, School of Architecture. Archivo de Arquitectura y Construcción de la Universidad de Puerto Rico (AACUPR)
He was the first Puerto Rican to become State Architect, a position within the Department of the Interior which he held from 1921 to 1936. Carmoega was one of the most accomplished Puerto Rican architects of the 20th century.

Early years

Rafael Carmoega Morales was born in Ponce in 1894.

Training

A 1918 graduate of the Cornell University School of Architecture and subsequent director of the Architectural division of Puerto Rico's Department of the Interior.

Career

He was the first Puerto Rican to become State Architect, a position within the Department of the Interior which he held from 1921 to 1936. In 1936 he went to work for the Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration (PRRA) where he designed the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

based on the Parsons Plan of 1924. In 1937 he established a private practice, which was characterized by eclecticism, and a varied mix of architectural styles. As a private architect he produced the designs for the residences of Secundino Lozana ( El Cortijo) in

Barranquitas barrio-pueblo Barranquitas barrio-pueblo is a barrio and the administrative center ( seat) of Barranquitas, a municipality of Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 2,695. As was customary in Spain, in Puerto Rico, the municipality has a barrio called ''pue ...

and Dionisio Trigo in Santurce, the

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

store in San Juan, Colegio San José in

Río Piedras Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

and the Casino de Puerto Rico in

El Condado Condado is an oceanfront, tree-lined, pedestrian-oriented upper middle to upper class community in Santurce. It is one of the forty subbarrios of Santurce in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Setting Condado is an upscale neighborhood located on the bea ...

Works

Among Carmoega's works are

Mercado de las Carnes Mercado de las Carnes ( en, Meat Market), also known as La Plaza de los Perros ( en, Dogs' Plaza), but formally, ''Plaza Juan Ponce de León'' (Juan Ponce de León Plaza), was the first building in Puerto Rico to mix social and architectural el ...

in Ponce. Carmoega also designed the Capitol Building, the University of Puerto Rico Main Campus at Rio Piedras, the School of Tropical Medicine, and the Mayaguez City Hall, all listed on the

National Register 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 ...

. In his interest to preserve Hispanic traditions in the wake of the recent change of sovereignty of Puerto Rico from

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to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, Carmoega utilized the

Spanish Baroque The arts of the Spanish Baroque include: *Spanish Baroque painting *Spanish Baroque architecture ** Spanish Baroque ephemeral architecture *Spanish Baroque literature **''Culteranismo'' **''Conceptismo'' *Spanish Baroque art **Bodegón **Tenebrism ...

and Neo- Mudejar vocabularies in his designs, emphasizing the use of glazed,

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

tiles in many buildings. The Plaza de los Perros in Ponce is a fine example of this latter style, incorporating glazed mosaics, horseshoe arches, and galleries in a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

-like space for commercial usage.Joaquin Acevedo Cruz, State Architect, and Felix Julian del Campo, State Historian. (PR SHPO). Certified by Mariano G. Coronas Castro, State Historic Preservation Officer, State Historic Preservation Office, San Juan, PR. March 1986. In ''National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form – Mercado de las Carnes''. United States Department of the Interior. National Park Service. (Washington, D.C.) Page 3. Listing Reference Number 86003199. November 16, 1986.

Death

Germany died in San Juan in 1002.

Papers

The Architecture and Construction Archives at the University of Puerto Rico (AACUPR) holds the Rafael Carmoega collection (1837–1969). Approximately 48 cubic feet in size, the collection contains architectural drawings, photographs, artifacts, textual documents, and publications. The Architectural Drawing Series holds 144 projects organized chronologically. The collection was donated by Mrs. Carmoega, widow of Ramírez, Ms. Margarita Higuera and architect Antonio Higuera in 1989.

References

External links

The Rafael Carmoega Collection electronic finding aid may be consulted through http://hip.upr.edu:85/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=aac--1#focus {{DEFAULTSORT:Carmoega, Rafael 1894 births 1968 deaths People from Río Piedras, Puerto Rico Ponce Creole architects Puerto Rican architects Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning alumni 20th-century architects Urban designers