Parque de Bombas

The Parque de Bombas is a Puerto Rican building located at the town square of Ponce, known as Plaza Las Delicias, and directly behind Ponce Cathedral. The building housed the city's main fire station; 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.

History

Around 1882, the Spanish government (of which Puerto Rico was a territory) recognized the need for a fire station that could address the needs of Ponce's increasing population, A Spanish Army soldier, Lt. Colonel Maximo Meana 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, which was first used late in 1882, in time to host that year's Puerto Rican agricultural convention. The festivals 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 virtual role as the island'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. Nowadays, a photo of the 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.

In 1885, the station went on to officially be named Ponce's fire station, thus every firefighting operation in Ponce and adjacent cities was dispatched from the Parque de Bombas. Meana was soon named mayor of Ponce. Later on the building was painted in Ponce's traditional city colors, red and black (as were a series of houses 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. Before the station itself was closed, it was converted into a museum. Of most prominence are the artifacts used by the 1882 fire brigade to combat the 1883 fire, and other artifacts of historical significance. The station became a major tourist attraction, but continued to operate as a fire station until its closure. Before , some of the firemen would give visitors free station tours voluntarily when they were not attending emergencies.

After the fire station was decommissioned in 1990, the building was preserved as a museum. According to some estimates, the Ponce firefighters' museum, still known generally as "Parque de Bombas", is one of Ponce's most visited sites annually.

Architecture

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.

External links

* [http://www.anadon.biz/ponce/imagesp/bombas.htm www.anadon.biz, photo of the station]
* [http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/prvi/pr16.htm cr.nps.gov, historical information about the station]