Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño (building)
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Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño
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The Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño building on Plaza Degetau
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 Location of Ponce and the bank building in Puerto Rico
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| Location | Plaza Degetau Ponce, Puerto Rico |
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| Coordinates | 18°00′41″N 66°36′48″W / 18.011314°N 66.613333°WCoordinates: 18°00′41″N 66°36′48″W / 18.011314°N 66.613333°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | Francisco Porrata-Doria |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| NRHP Reference # | 87001002 |
| Added to NRHP | June 25, 1987 |
The Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño building (or Banco Crédito, for short), a historic building in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was the first and main office of the historic Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño (English: Ponce Credit and Savings Bank), and represents one of the last examples of the once popular turn-of-the-century eclectic architecture. The building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on June 25, 1987. It was built in 1924. The building was owned by Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño which was one of the largest banking companies in the country of Puerto Rico during most of the twentieth century.
The building is located on Calle Marina (Marina Street) and Calle Amor (Amor Street, now "Paseo Arias" (Arias Promenade), facing west across Plaza Degetau. It is bounded on the east by Calle Mayor (Mayor Street). Amor Street was also called Callejon Amor (Amor Alley), literally, Love Alley. In 1991, Amor Street was converted into a promenade and renamed Paseo Antonio S. Arias Ventura, after the long-time employee of Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño who started as a custodian and rose to become the bank's general manager.
Built in 1924 as the main office for the expanding Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño bank this building represents one of the last examples of the once popular turn-of-the-century eclectic architecture so common in Ponce after the 1918 earthquake. Banco Crédito was designed and built by Francisco Porrata-Doria, who at the time had recently returned to Puerto Rico after studying engineering at Cornell University and architectural courses at Columbia University. Porrata Doria was one of the island's finest architects, a pioneer in the development of a local modern architecture, and one of the architects responsible for what can be called "Ponce Monumental Architecture", of which Banco Crédito is a good example. Among the directors and officers of this prominent bank were some of the most recognized names in the city of Ponce and Puerto Rico at large, including former Ponce mayor, Ulpiano Colóm.
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