Casa Serrallés
Encyclopedia
Casa Serrallés is a historic building in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico
. The building was purchased by the government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce in 2008 for its architectural, historic, and cultural value. It was built in 1911 by Alfredo Wiechers Pieretti
for Don
Juan Eugenio Serrallés Perez, son of businessman Juan Serrallés Colon
, founder of Destilería Serrallés, and himself the CEO of the company that founded Ron Don Q
. It was the Seralles family everyday downtown Ponce residence, as compared to their hilltop Castle
residence.
. The house was built in 1911 by Alfredo Weichers
.
Music Institute, in the Ponce Historic Zone
. The location of the house, together with its historic significance, courtyard, and architectural details, make it unique among other Puerto Rico homes. The structure is located on the same block as the historic Teatro La Perla and the Ponce History Museum. With the acquisition of this property by the city, the municipal government has termed the block within the Mayor, Cristina, Salud, and Isabel streets, the Plaza de la Cultura de Ponce (Plaza of Ponce Culture).
Architecturally, the building represents an example of Spanish Moroccan architecture, a style first introduced in Puerto Rico by the architect Pedro Adolfo de Castro.
Historically, the building is a reminder of the cultural and economic changes that southern Puerto Rico experienced in the 1920s. "Ponce's dependence on the sugar cane industry at the close of the nineteenth century, created an atmosphere of development from which evolved a series of intrinsic cultural characteristics and afforded great wealth to many families involved in the industry. The wealthy families generally chose Europe as the model for the direction that cultural endeavors would take."
Culturally, the building is important because it was the downtown residence of one of the wealthiest families in 19th-century Puerto Rico
, and one that so much influenced its economy. The original hill-top residence of the family was Castillo Serralles, today a historic structure listed in the NRHP. The Casa Serralles structure was acquired by the city of Ponce "to increase its cultural holdings."
The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture
is expected to aid in the restoration of the residence.
Alfredo Wiechers Pieretti. It includes a large back courtyard.
The building was constructed entirely of concrete. The residence was designed in a style popular in the 1910s for representing Spanish Mediterranean influence. Prominent throughout the building is the use of red roof tiles. This accent is also present on all other rooftops. The exterior of the buildings is finished in stucco
.
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
. The building was purchased by the government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce in 2008 for its architectural, historic, and cultural value. It was built in 1911 by Alfredo Wiechers Pieretti
Alfredo Wiechers Pieretti
Alfredo Wiechers Pieretti was a Puerto Rican architect from Ponce, Puerto Rico. He was an expositor of the Neoclassicism and Art Nouveau architectural styles, doing most of his work in his hometown of Ponce. Today, Alfredo Wiechers' city residence, located in the Ponce Historic Zone and which he...
for Don
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Juan Eugenio Serrallés Perez, son of businessman Juan Serrallés Colon
Juan Serralles
Juan Serrallés Colón was the founder of Hacienda Mercedita in Ponce, Puerto Rico and what was to become Destileria Serralles, producers of "Don Q", a world renowned brand of Puerto Rican rum.-Early years:...
, founder of Destilería Serrallés, and himself the CEO of the company that founded Ron Don Q
Don Q
Don Q is a Puerto Rican rum, distilled, manufactured, bottled, and distributed by Destilería Serrallés from its corporate facility in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Don Q is the top-selling rum in Puerto Rico, where over 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced. The rum is named after Don...
. It was the Seralles family everyday downtown Ponce residence, as compared to their hilltop Castle
Serralles Castle
Serrallés Castle is a mansion located in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico overlooking the downtown area . It was built during the 1920s by Juan Eugenio Serrallés, son of businessman Juan Serrallés, founder of Destilería Serrallés...
residence.
History
The house was purchased by the city of Ponce from the Rosa Maria Serrallés heirs, consisting of Alberto J. Torruella Serrallés, Guillermo J. Torruella Serrallés, and Rosa M. Torruella Serrallés. It was purchased for $364,807, under the administration of mayor Francisco Zayas SeijoFrancisco Zayas Seijo
Dr. Francisco R. Zayas Seijo, D.V.M., also known as Ico , is a former member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
. The house was built in 1911 by Alfredo Weichers
Alfredo Wiechers Pieretti
Alfredo Wiechers Pieretti was a Puerto Rican architect from Ponce, Puerto Rico. He was an expositor of the Neoclassicism and Art Nouveau architectural styles, doing most of his work in his hometown of Ponce. Today, Alfredo Wiechers' city residence, located in the Ponce Historic Zone and which he...
.
Location
The house is located on the west side of Salud Street between Cristina and Isabel Streets, next to the Juan Morel CamposJuan Morel Campos
Juan Morel Campos , sometimes erroneously spelled Juan Morell Campos, was a Puerto Rican composer, considered by many to be responsible for taking the genre of danza to its highest level.-Early years:...
Music Institute, in the Ponce Historic Zone
Ponce Historic Zone
The Ponce Historic Zone is a historic district in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico with construction that dates to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The zone was originally designated in 1962, and then it only included the center core of the city, but it has since been expanded to...
. The location of the house, together with its historic significance, courtyard, and architectural details, make it unique among other Puerto Rico homes. The structure is located on the same block as the historic Teatro La Perla and the Ponce History Museum. With the acquisition of this property by the city, the municipal government has termed the block within the Mayor, Cristina, Salud, and Isabel streets, the Plaza de la Cultura de Ponce (Plaza of Ponce Culture).
Significance
Casa Serrallés was built as the exclusive residence of Don Eugenio Serrallés, a leader in the sugar cane industry during the early part of the 20th century. The building is significant from the architectural, historical, and cultural perspectives.Architecturally, the building represents an example of Spanish Moroccan architecture, a style first introduced in Puerto Rico by the architect Pedro Adolfo de Castro.
Historically, the building is a reminder of the cultural and economic changes that southern Puerto Rico experienced in the 1920s. "Ponce's dependence on the sugar cane industry at the close of the nineteenth century, created an atmosphere of development from which evolved a series of intrinsic cultural characteristics and afforded great wealth to many families involved in the industry. The wealthy families generally chose Europe as the model for the direction that cultural endeavors would take."
Culturally, the building is important because it was the downtown residence of one of the wealthiest families in 19th-century Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, and one that so much influenced its economy. The original hill-top residence of the family was Castillo Serralles, today a historic structure listed in the NRHP. The Casa Serralles structure was acquired by the city of Ponce "to increase its cultural holdings."
The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture
Institute of Puerto Rican Culture
The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture , or ICP, for short, is an institution of the Government of Puerto Rico responsible for the establishment of the cultural policies required in order to study, preserve, promote, enrich, and diffuse the cultural values of Puerto Rico...
is expected to aid in the restoration of the residence.
Physical characteristics
The house is a single floor building. Access to the main entrance of the house is from the front street. The building has a short front facade but its east-to-west axis is articulated as a very long structure. It was built in 1926 by local architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Alfredo Wiechers Pieretti. It includes a large back courtyard.
The building was constructed entirely of concrete. The residence was designed in a style popular in the 1910s for representing Spanish Mediterranean influence. Prominent throughout the building is the use of red roof tiles. This accent is also present on all other rooftops. The exterior of the buildings is finished in stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
.
See also
- Juan SerrallésJuan SerrallesJuan Serrallés Colón was the founder of Hacienda Mercedita in Ponce, Puerto Rico and what was to become Destileria Serralles, producers of "Don Q", a world renowned brand of Puerto Rican rum.-Early years:...
- Destilería Serrallés
- Don QDon QDon Q is a Puerto Rican rum, distilled, manufactured, bottled, and distributed by Destilería Serrallés from its corporate facility in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Don Q is the top-selling rum in Puerto Rico, where over 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced. The rum is named after Don...
- Ponce, Puerto RicoPonce, Puerto RicoPonce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...