The Centro Cultural Baudilio Vega Berríos is a

cultural center A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Africa * ...

located in

Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Mayagüez (, ) is the ninth-largest Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in Puerto Rico. It was founded as Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Mayagüez (Township of Virgin of Candelaria, Our Lady of Candelaria), and is also ...

. Located in the heart of the city, aside the

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

and the

Teatro Yagüez The Teatro Yagüez in Puerto Rico is a historic building that today is a performing arts theater. It is located at Calle de la Candelaria (Mayagüez), Candelaria Street, (formerly ''Calle McKinley'') and Dr. Basora Streets, in the city of Mayagü ...

, extending between Candelaria Street (former ''McKinley'') at front to the

Ernesto Ramos Antonini Ernesto Ramos Antonini (April 24, 1898 – January 9, 1963) was the President of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico and co-founder of the Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico (Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico). Early yea ...

Street (former ''Eleven of August'') at back.

Architecture

The Cultural Center of Mayagüez is a two-story building with a facade that is dominated by arches, built at a cost of one million dollars under the management of

Baudilio Vega Berríos Baudilio Vega Berríos (February 16, 1902 – August 1987) was Mayor of the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Vega Berríos was born in Barrio Pulguillas in Coamo. His mother was Basilisa Berríos Zayas and his father was Baudilio Veg ...

, for whom the building was named. It was built strictly with municipal funds. It has a theater with capacity for seven hundred people, a library, a history museum, reading and conference rooms as well as a modern cafeteria.

History

The Centro Cultural Baudilio Vega Berríos is located in place that for many years occupied the town fire station. The Cultural Center began as an organization founded in 1958 under the presidency of Amador Ramírez Silva as part of a project of the Puerto Rico Institute of Culture. With the cooperation and donations of different institutions and people from Mayaguez, the Center starts to become a reality with a series of activities. Since then the Municipal Administration has become an important column in the organization. With the city's bicentennial approaching in 1960, the Bicentennial Committee proposed the construction of a building that would house the different facets of Mayagüez cultural life. In 1968, the Cultural Center was finally inaugurated. Don Baudilio Vega Berríos, Mayor of the city, said during its inauguration, that: "... in fact, at all classes social-working, artisans, dependents on commerce, businessmen, industrialists, it was notable the concern towards the joy in their cultural recreational field as so many jobs in their daily lives". Therefore, the building was constructed for the Cultural Center of the city of Mayagüez aiming to replace the old municipal theater using modern construction techniques. On September 3, 1983 being mayor of the city Benjamin Cole, the Cultural Center was dedicated in honor of Baudilio Vega. Currently, the Cultural Center of Mayagüez houses a public library, cultural theater and tourist office as well as the Municipal Bomba School.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Centro Cultural Baudilio Vega Berrios Buildings and structures completed in 1968 Buildings and structures in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Tourist attractions in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 1968 establishments in Puerto Rico Cultural centers in North America Culture of Puerto Rico