Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
perfect function of a tourist information center - even the most hapless tourist can't miss
it - where a pleasant, bilingual staff will sell you tickets for a trolley and point you in the
right direction for local attractions and amenities.
Casa Wiechers-Villaronga
HISTORICAL HOME
( 8:30am-4:30pm Wed-Sun)
Perhaps the most grand of Ponce's historic homes, this
mansion was designed by Paris-educated
ponceño
architect Alfredo Wiechers. The care-
fully preserved Victorian details - such as the multidirectional pipeworks of the ancient
shower and the hand-carved bedroom furniture - speak to the grand lifestyle of its former
residents. Tours begin by request (better in Spanish, though possible in English). Those
who don't get their thrills from Victorian living might find some by climbing the twisting
iron staircase to the neoclassical rooftop gazebo for a bird's-eye perspective of the neigh-
borhood.
Casa Armstrong-Poventud
HISTORICAL HOME
(admission $3; 8:30am-4:30pm Wed-Sun)
After restoration for the better part of a
decade, Casa Armstrong-Poventud's caryatid columns emerged from behind a veil of scaf-
folding. Though infrequently open, it holds a modest display about the family who lived
here and historic photos of the square.
Casa Alcaldía
NOTABLE BUILDING
(Town Hall; 8am-4:30pm Mon-Fri)
Facing the south side of Plaza Las Delicias,
Ponce's city hall was built in the 1840s. The last public hanging on the island happened in
its courtyard, where current galleries were formerly cells. Its balcony has seen speeches by
four US presidents - Teddy Roosevelt, Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt and George HW Bush.
The waggish head of Carnaval, El Rey Momo, also makes pronouncements from here.
Teatro La Perla
NOTABLE BUILDING
(Pearl Theater; cnr Mayor & Cristina; lobby 8am-4:30pm Mon-Fri)
The restored
1000-seat Teatro La Perla recently reopened for theatrical and musical performances. The
columned entrance, designed by Calderoni, the father of Puerto Rico's neoclassical style,
was completed in the 1860s. It took 20 years to rebuild after an earthquake in 1918, but has
since played a crucial role in the city's performing arts world, underscored by the Institu-
