Parque de Bombas

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Parque de Bombas
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Parque de Bombas Firehouse
Location: Town Center, Ponce, Puerto Rico
Nearest city: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Built/Founded: 1882
Architect: Maximo de Meana y Guridi
Architectural style(s): Gothic
Governing body: Local
Added to NRHP: July 12, 1984
NRHP Reference#: 84003150[1]

Coordinates: 18°0′42.54″N 66°36′49.64″W / 18.0118167°N 66.6137889°W / 18.0118167; -66.6137889 Parque de Bombas (Spanish for Park of Pumps) is a historic firehouse building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is one of Puerto Rico's most notable buildings, with some considering it "by far the most easily recognized landmark in the Island"[2]. It is located at the Plaza Las Delicias town square, directly behind the Ponce Cathedral. The building housed the city's main fire station for many years, and it is now a museum. Its name comes from the mobile hand-pumped fire fighting units the building once housed. It has been heralded both for its historical and architectural roles in Puerto Rican society. It was Puerto Rico's first ever fire station[3]. It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since July 12, 1984. [4]

Contents

History

"The Parque de Bombas de Ponce (Old Ponce Fire Station) was built as the main exhibit pavilion for the 1882 Exhibition Trade Fair."[5] A Spanish Army soldier, Lt. Colonel Maximo de Meana y Guridi [6][7] who happened to be a professional architect, was commissioned in Puerto Rico at the time. The Madrid-based central government gave Meana the assignment of designing and constructing the building. The building was unveiled during the 1883 Ponce World Fair.[8] The festival's participants used the building as its main pavilion. The first brigade of firemen to work in the building were stationed soon after.

In 1883, a large fire threatened the lives of those living in southern Puerto Rico, as well as the economy of Puerto Rico as a whole, given Ponce's de facto role as the Puerto Rico's banking and agricultural capital. The firemen stationed at the Parque de Bombas engaged in a long fight with the fire, taking twenty-two days to extinguish the blaze. For that, the group was honored many times both in Ponce and the rest of Puerto Rico.

In 1885, the station went on to be officially named Ponce's fire station, thus every firefighting operation in Ponce and adjacent towns was dispatched from the Parque de Bombas. Meana became mayor of Ponce in 1882[9]. Later on the building was painted in Ponce's traditional city colors, red and black (as were a series of homes towards the western part of the city that were built as housing for many of Ponce's firefighters, who lost their own homes to the blaze).

The station continued to serve the city of Ponce until 1990, lasting a total of 108 years as a fire station. On that year, the station's fire-fighting duties were fully transferred to another nearby station, and the building was officially converted into a fire-fighting museum. Nowadays, a photo of the 1883 firefighters hangs on the walls of the Parque de Bombas building. In 1983, the 100th anniversary of the brigade's victory over the infamous fire was commemorated at the station. Various artifacts used by the 1882 fire brigade are on display at the current museum. Among these are some artifacts used to combat the 1883 fire. There are also artifacts of historical significance. Even before its 1990 closure, the station had already become a major tourist attraction, and some of the firemen would give visitors free station tours voluntarily when they were not attending emergencies. The Ponce firefighters' museum is still known generally as Parque de Bombas and, according to some estimates, it is one of Ponce's most visited tourist attractions.

Architecture

Front view of the firehouse.

The Parque de Bombas building is located in what is known in Puerto Rico, Spain, and most of Latin America as a town plaza. A town plaza's layout usually includes water fountains, trees, benches, and walkways flanking a catholic church. The Parque de Bombas itself is adjacent to Ponce's Roman Catholic cathedral.

The station-turned-museum reflects the architectural style of 1880s Spain. It is mostly made of wood, and it resembles a Gothic castle or a Spaniard mansion of that era. The station is painted with red and black stripes. Two stairs that are located on opposite sides highlight the entrance to the museum. Tourists can observe firefighting technology on the building's second floor.

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2000-10-17. http://www.nr.nps.gov/. 
  2. ^ Landmark in the Island
  3. ^ Adventure Guide to Puerto Rico By Kurt Pitzer, Tara Stevens, page 226 Retrieved June 28, 2009.
  4. ^ National Register of Historic PlacesRetrieved July 31, 2009.
  5. ^ National Park Service-Ponce's Parque de Bombas
  6. ^ Puerto Rico: The Puerto Rico Channel. Tour the Old Ponce Firehouse Museum. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
  7. ^ US National Park Service: Historic Places in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
  8. ^ Adventure Guide to Puerto Rico, page 226. By Kurt Pitzer and Tara Stevens. Edison, New Jersey: Hunter Publishing. 2001. 420 pages. ISBN: 1-58843-116-9
  9. ^ Adventure Guide to Puerto Rico By Kurt Pitzer, Tara Stevens, page 226 Retrieved June 28, 2009.

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