Rafael Carmoega
Encyclopedia
Rafael Carmoega Morales (1894–1968) was a Puerto Rican architect
from Ponce, Puerto Rico
. 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 established Puerto Rican architects of the 20th century.
and subsequent director of the Architectural division of Puerto Rico's Department of the Interior.
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
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 and Dionisio Trigo in Santurce
, the General Electric
store in San Juan, Colegio San José
in Río Piedras and the Casino de Puerto Rico in El Condado.
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. In his interest to preserve Hispanic traditions in the wake of the recent change of sovereignty of Puerto Rico from Spain
to the United States
, Carmoega utilized the Spanish Baroque
and Neo-Mudejar
vocabularies in his designs, emphasizing the use of glazed, mosaic
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
-like space for commercial usage.
Architect
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...
from Ponce, Puerto Rico
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...
. He was the first Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
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 established Puerto Rican architects of the 20th century.
Early years
Rafael Carmoega Morales was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico in 1894.Training
A 1918 graduate of the Cornell University School of ArchitectureCornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University was established in 1871 as the School of Architecture with the hiring of Charles Babcock as the first Professor creating the first four-year course of study in architecture in the United States...
and subsequent director of the Architectural division of Puerto Rico's Department of the Interior.
Career
He was the first Puerto RicanPuerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
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
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
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 and Dionisio Trigo in Santurce
Santurce
Santurce can refer to:*Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, a district of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico*Santurtzi, a town near Bilbao, the Basque Country, Spain...
, the General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
store in San Juan, Colegio San José
Colegio San José
Colegio San José is a college-preparatory catholic school for boys in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. It is a fully accredited Catholic college preparatory school for young men, grades 7 to 12, which develops capable, responsible and sensitive Christian leaders, committed to the service of God and neighbor...
in Río Piedras and the Casino de Puerto Rico in El Condado.
His works
Among Carmoega's works are Mercado de las CarnesMercado de las Carnes
Mercado de las Carnes , also known as La Plaza de los Perros , but formally, Plaza Juan Ponce de Leon, was the first building in Puerto Rico to mix social and architectural elements via the pedestrian mall concept. The historic Art Deco architecture structure is located in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and...
in Ponce. Carmoega also designed the Capitol Building
Capitol of Puerto Rico
The Capitol of Puerto Rico is located on the Islet of San Juan just outside the walls of Old San Juan. The building is home to the bicameral Legislative Assembly, composed of the House of Representatives and Senate...
, the University of Puerto Rico Main Campus at Rio Piedras
University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus
The University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras , also referred to as UPR-RP, is a public research university located on a campus in Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico...
, the School of Tropical Medicine
School of Tropical Medicine (Puerto Rico)
The School of Tropical Medicine , was an educational institution created in 1926 by an act of the Puerto Rican Legislature, to further the research initiated by the Anemia Commissions and the Institute of Tropical Medicine on anemia and its causes...
, and the Mayaguez City Hall
Mayagüez City Hall
The Casa Consistorial De Mayaguez or as it is more commonly known Alcaldia de Mayagüez is the City Hall for the Municipality of Mayagüez. It is located in front of the Colón Main Square facing the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria Cathedral.-History:...
, all listed on the National Register. In his interest to preserve Hispanic traditions in the wake of the recent change of sovereignty of Puerto Rico from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Carmoega utilized the Spanish Baroque
Spanish Baroque
Spanish Baroque is a strand of Baroque architecture that evolved in Spain and its provinces and former colonies, notably Spanish America and Belgium....
and Neo-Mudejar
Mudéjar
Mudéjar is the name given to individual Moors or Muslims of Al-Andalus who remained in Iberia after the Christian Reconquista but were not converted to Christianity...
vocabularies in his designs, emphasizing the use of glazed, mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
tiles in many buildings. The Plaza de los Perros
Mercado de las Carnes
Mercado de las Carnes , also known as La Plaza de los Perros , but formally, Plaza Juan Ponce de Leon, was the first building in Puerto Rico to mix social and architectural elements via the pedestrian mall concept. The historic Art Deco architecture structure is located in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and...
in Ponce is a fine example of this latter style, incorporating glazed mosaics, horseshoe arches, and galleries
Balcony
Balcony , a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade.-Types:The traditional Maltese balcony is a wooden closed balcony projecting from a...
in a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
-like space for commercial usage.
Rafael Carmoega's 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.See also
- Blas Silva
- Francisco Porrata DoriaFrancisco Porrata DoriaFrancisco Porrata-Doria was a twentieth-century Puerto Rican architect from Ponce, Puerto Rico. Porrata-Doria was a pioneer in the development of the local modern architecture and one of the architects responsible for what has been called "Ponce Monumental Architecture", of which the Banco Crédito...
- Wiechers-Villaronga Residence
- List of famous Puerto Ricans