Plaza del Mercado de Ponce

The Plaza del Mercado de Ponce, or formally, Plaza del Mercado Isabel Segunda, is a historic marketplace building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was inaugurated in 1863 by Ponce Mayor Don Luis de Quixano. The building was designed by famed engineer Timoteo Luberza. The Plaza occupies a city block in the Ponce Historic Zone at the grid formed by Atocha, Estrella, Leon, and Castillo streets. It has room for 65 kiosks. It was originally called "Plaza del Capa."HistoryThe building was erected from plans by Timoteo Luberza in 1863, who modeled it after Les Halles, the market of Paris in France. It the time it was built, it was the largest and most modern marketplace in Puerto Rico. It has undergone four major additions and/or remodelings since then: in 1903, 1941, 1989, and 2007.1903 EnlargementIn 1903 it was enlarged according to the Neoclassical design of architect Manuel V. Domenech. A meat storage was also added. Even by the early 1900s, Plaza del Mercado had enjoyed many years of heavy use and, by 1926, Plaza del Mercado Isabel II was so overcrowded that the city of Ponce built a second plaza, Mercado de las Carnes ("Meat Market"), to relieve the overcrowding at Plaza del Mercado.1941 EnlargementIn 1941, it was again enlarged per plans by Ponce-born architect Pedro Mendez Mercado. During the 1941 remodeling, the original structure, which was not art deco, was enhanced with an art deco facade.