Tienda-Almacén Siempreviva
| Tienda-Almacén Siempreviva | |
|---|---|
| Casa Sigma Mayagüez | |
  Location of Tienda-Almacén Siempreviva in Puerto Rico | |
| Location | Barrio Pueblo, 20 Pablo Casals Street, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico |
| Coordinates | 18°12′03.07″N 67°08′35.37″W / 18.2008528°N 67.1431583°W |
| Built | early 19th century |
| Restored | 2024 |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclasic Creole |
Invalid designation | |
| Designated | December 2, 2004 |
| Reference no. | 2004-29-02-JP-DE |
Tienda-Almacén Siempreviva, later Casa Sigma Mayagüez, is a historic building located in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
History
[edit]It was built at the beginning of the nineteenth century in neoclassical Creole style. it is a representative example of a ground floor masonry building for residential use. The property is part of a group of structures said to have been built to house Spanish officers. The houses are located on what became Ernesto Ramos Antonini Street. They were built during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Their construction followed the rules established for the rebuilding of Villa de Mayagüez, following the Great Fire of 1841. The rules dictated plot size, height, construction materials, and perimeter walls (height and materials), and specified the use of a document outlining approved facade designs.
The lots were distributed giving the owners a term of four to six months for construction. It was forbidden to add a wooden roof, to prevent future fires from spreading easily. These rules marked a transformation and evolution in the urban fabric and architecture of Mayagüez. Most likely because of those rules its architecture has the highest interiors on the island.[1]
The structure operated for many years as the warehouse for La Siempreviva fabric store. In 2004, and after the store closed, the building was designated as a historical building and inducted into the Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones by the Puerto Rico Planning Board.[2] In 2022, after many years in disrepair, it was purchased and work began on its reconstruction. It is intended to serve as the gathering space for the Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Alvarez Cervela, José M. (1983). La Arquitectura Clásica Actual en Mayagüez (in Spanish). Mayagüez, Puerto Rico: Antillian College Press. p. 21.
- ^ Junta de Planificación de Puerto Rico (December 7, 2022). "Registro de propiedades designadas por la Junta de Planificación de Puerto Rico" (PDF). jp.pr.gov.
- ^ "Casa Sigma Mayagüez", Anuario Sigma (in Spanish), p. 69, October 2023, retrieved December 18, 2024