Bank of Ponce, Beaux-Arts bank building in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
The Bank of Ponce is a four-story structure built of local stone and concrete, featuring a continuous facade with ornamental square Corinthian columns and decorative medallions across its front. The building follows Beaux-Arts architectural principles with carefully balanced proportions and details.
The building was designed in 1924 by architect Francisco Porrata Doria and originally served as the main headquarters of the Bank of Ponce. Following a merger with Banco Popular in 1990, it transitioned into a regional office for the larger banking institution.
The third floor once hosted a ballroom that served Ponce's casino, where the city's wealthy banking families gathered for social events. These spaces reflect how the building was central to the leisure activities of the local elite.
The building is located at the intersection of Mayor and Marina streets in downtown Ponce and remains active as a banking branch. Its street-level location makes it easy to view the ornate exterior while walking through the city center.
The exterior walls are built from pink stone quarried locally, a material shared by many other buildings throughout Ponce. This choice of material ties the banking structure visually and materially to the broader urban landscape of the city.
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