Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
: ''Torre Franklin Delano Roosevelt''), more popularly known as La Torre, is a 173.54 feet (52.89 m)
clock tower
Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...
located above the main entrance to the Baldorioty de Castro Building in the
University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus
The University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras; UPR-RP, or informally La IUPI) is a public land-grant research university in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the largest campus in the Univ ...
. The tower is also referred to as ''El Faro'' (The Lighthouse) and it is considered a symbol of 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 ...
and of higher education in Puerto Rico. The tower, along with the main historic quadrangle in campus, have been listed on 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 v ...
since 1984.
History
The building where the tower is located was originally one of the main libraries in campus. Based on the 1924 Parsons Plan, the
Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration
The Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration (PRRA) was one of the alphabet agencies of the New Deal established by the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Created on May 28, 1935, the PRRA's first directors included America ...
(PRRA) hired Puerto Rican architect
Rafael Carmoega
Rafael Carmoega Morales (1894–1968) was a Puerto Rican architect from Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.quadrangle located next to the tower. The exterior plans were designed by William Schimmelpfennig whose design followed similar patterns of American university campus towers. Other architects considered for the project were William E. Parsons and Joseph J. O’Kelly. The tower was built in 1937 and its exterior design, inspired in and following Andalusian/ Spanish Gothic and
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
Revival patterns, was completed by 1939. Once completed the tower was inaugurated and named after then incumbent
US President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
to honor his interest and funding in the development of the university. The university theater, completed during this time, also bears the name Roosevelt Theater, although it is named after
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...
.
Carillon
The tower has a
carillon
A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...
built by the company Deagan. The carillon was out of service for multiple years until it was re-installed by ''IT Verdin Bells & Clocks''. It contains 25
tubular bells
Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within a ...
; those give the notes from the central “C” to the “C” of the next second octave in bells. There are two octaves in bells. It is programmed in blocks of 7 melodies. The system consists of a 25-pound hammer that is moved by an electromechanical system, the note is given below, the electromechanical system is activated above and with some springs it returns to its position. It follows the Westminster Tracking Hour System. In addition to giving time, the carillon also often plays pieces by famous Latin American composers such as Rafael Hernández and
Agustín Lara
Ángel Agustín María Carlos Fausto Mariano Alfonso del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Lara y Aguirre del Pino (; October 30, 1897 – November 6, 1970), known as Agustín Lara, was a Mexican composer and performer of songs and boleros. He is recogn ...
.
Culture
La Torre is often referred to as ''El Faro del Saber'' ("The Lighthouse of Knowledge"), or simply ''El Faro'', as it was instantly recognized as a landmark and symbol of 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 ...
, in addition to being the first university building of its type to be built in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
.
Gallery
File:Clock Tower University of Puerto Rico-San Marcos-Harvard.jpg, Closeup of the tower designs.
File:Torre-dentro.JPG, Monument to the Pan-American movement, located inside.
File:UPRRP Torre.jpg, Underneath the tower.
File:Torre de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras.jpg, Tower as seen from the main entrance gate of campus.
File:LaUniversidad.jpg, Aerial view of the tower and the Baldorioty de Castro Building.