Timoteo Luberza de San Martín (ca. 1820 - ca. 1895) was a nineteenth-century Puerto Rican

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

from

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 ...

. He was responsible for the 1875 Ponce water supply system, including the dam in

Rio Portugues 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 ''Calle del Agua'' masonry arch aqueduct in barrio Portugues Urbano in Ponce. In 1864, he served briefly as mayor of the nearby town of

Yauco Yauco () is a town and municipality in southern Puerto Rico. Although the downtown is inland, the municipality stretches to a southern coast facing the Caribbean Sea. Yauco is located south of Maricao, Lares and Adjuntas; east of Sabana Grande ...

. He is best remembered for designing

Plaza del Mercado de Ponce Plaza del Mercado de Ponce (English: Ponce Market Plaza) or, formally, Plaza del Mercado Isabel Segunda (often abbreviated as Plaza del Mercado Isabel II), is a historic marketplace building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was inaugurated in 1863 by P ...

Works

Plaza del Mercado Isabel II in Ponce, PR (IMG 2684)

Luberza was Public Works Inspecting Engineer for Puerto Rico's Western District. Luberza also designed aqueducts,

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s, and various buildings. In 1878, he owned

hacienda An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...

''Retiro'' in

Barrio Vayas Vayas is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Playa, Bucana, Canas and Capitanejo, Vayas is also one of Ponce's five coastal barrios. Together with Capitanejo, Vayas is also one of two rural coastal bar ...

Ponce-Juana Diaz and Coamo-Aibonito roads

In 1858, he designed the road from Ponce to Juana Diaz and, in 1861, the road from Coamo to Aibonito, parts of the Carretera Central.

Plaza del Mercado de Ponce

In the early 1860s, Luberza designed Ponce's

Plaza del Mercado Isabel II Plaza del Mercado de Ponce (English: Ponce Market Plaza) or, formally, Plaza del Mercado Isabel Segunda (often abbreviated as Plaza del Mercado Isabel II), is a historic marketplace building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was inaugurated in 1863 by P ...

(Market place). The marketplace opened in 1863 under the mayoral administration of Luis de Quixano. Its design was a reduced model of the Paris Marketplace.

Bridge Number 173

With a budget of 15,405 Spanish

peso The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the Dollar sign, same sign, "$", as many currencies na ...

s, he also designed Bridge Number 173 over Río Las Minas in barrio San Idelfonso,

Coamo, Puerto Rico Coamo (, ) is a Coamo barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality founded in 1579 in the south-central region of Puerto Rico, located north of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis, Puerto Rico, Oroc ...

. It was completed in 1862, and rebuilt in 1898 by the US Army Corps of Engineers, after being partly destroyed by the Spanish to keep the American invaders from advancing north towards San Juan at the Battle of Asomante. Bridge 173 is 6.7 meters long. It is on the road between

Coamo Coamo (, ) is a town and municipality founded in 1579 in the south-central region of Puerto Rico, located north of Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis and Barranquitas; east of Villalba and Juana Díaz; and west of Aibonito and Salinas. Coamo ...

and

Juana Díaz Juana is a Spanish female first name. It is the feminine form of Juan (English John), and thus corresponds to the English names Jane, Janet, Jean, Joan, and Joanna. Juanita is a common variant. The name Juana may refer to: People *Juana I (14 ...

, at kilometer 30.4 of

PR-14 Puerto Rico Highway 14 (PR-14) is a main highway connecting Cayey, Puerto Rico to Ponce, Puerto Rico. The road runs the same course as the historic Carretera Central. The Coamo-to-Ponce section of PR-14 was built under the direction of Spanish e ...

, and it is the only original and still standing bridge on the southern section of the Carretera Central.

Ponce aqueduct

Luberza designed the Ponce aqueduct system, called " Acueducto Alfonso XII". It was long. Construction of the aqueduct started on 21 August 1876. The 1876 cost was $220,000 U.S. dollars. It became operational in that year. It was completed in 1880 and it operated for 48 years—until 1928. At its highest point the aqueduct rose 50 feet high. It was made possible by a generous 54,000 Spanish pesos donation from

Valentin Tricoche Valentin is a male given name meaning "strong, healthy, power, rule, terco". It comes from the Latin name ''Valentinus'', as in Saint Valentin. Commonly found in Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Scandinavia, Latin America ...

, who also left in his will moneys for the construction of a hospital,

Hospital Tricoche Albergue Caritativo Tricoche or Hospital Tricoche (English: ''Tricoche Charitable Shelter'' or ''Tricoche Hospital'') is a historic building located on Calle Tricoche street in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in the city's historic district. It was design ...

.''AN ACT To declare November 15 of each year as “Philanthropy Day,” to acknowledge and promote valuable and generous philanthropic action of citizens on behalf of the People of Puerto Rico.''
S. B. 1812. Act Number 78. Approved March 7, 2003. Retrieved 27 December 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Luberza, Timoteo Architects from Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce Creole architects Year of birth uncertain