Fernando Luis Toro Home
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Fernando Luis Toro Casa
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The house in 2017
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 Location of Ponce and the house in Puerto Rico
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| Location | La Alhambra Calle Obispado, Number 3, Ponce, Puerto Rico |
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| Coordinates | 18°01′04″N 66°36′21″W / 18.017812°N 66.605786°WCoordinates: 18°01′04″N 66°36′21″W / 18.017812°N 66.605786°W |
| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Francisco Porrata Doria |
| NRHP Reference # | 86000421 |
| Added to NRHP | March 5, 1986 |
Casa Fernando Luis Toro (English: Fernando Luis Toro Home) is a historic house in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The house is unique in that it is located in the first upper-class suburban development built in Puerto Rico, La Alhambra.
Today, La Alhambra has been designed part of Ponce's historic district. The house dates to 1927 and was designed by the famed Puerto Rican architect Francisco Porrata Doria. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places since March 5, 1986, as Fernando Luis Toro Casa. It is also known as Casa Chavier. The house was sold by its original owners in the early 1970s to Mr. Jorge Chavier and his wife Ms. Hilda de Lis who still occupied the house in 1986.
The house was built in 1927. It was designed by Francisco Porrata Doria, a well-known architect from Ponce. The house is located in the La Alhambra sector of the city, a well-to-do area developed in the early twentieth century. La Alhambra was the first upper-class suburban development in Puerto Rico. Today, La Alhambra has been designated part of the Ponce Historic Zone.
The house draws from architectural designs commonly seen in Coral Gables and West Palm Beach, Florida. The house, for example, is located in a large lot, surrounded by presumptious landscaping. The property is one of three adjoining properties that belong to three wealthy brothers. The three residences are connected at their backyards. An elegant front concrete wall serves as a common fence. The most outstanding feature of the interior is the core location of the living room. While most of the floors are wooden, the terrace and the dining room have mosaic-tiled floors. The kitchen, service hall, and pantry have local tiles of various colors and designs.
The Toro residence is located in an elegant residential area of Ponce called La Alhambra. This was the first large, upper class suburban expansion developed in Puerto Rico in the early 1900s. Much in the style of Coral Gables and West Palm Beach in Florida, residences were sited on unusually large lots which allowed for elaborate and formal landscaping.
The combination of eclectic architectural elements displayed in this house make it one of the better examples of the designs of the locally well-known architect Francisco Porrata Doria. His distinct style was based on the integration of diverse architectural influences such as: Victorian, Georgian, Neo-classic, academic Beaux Arts, Spanish Revival and Catalan modernism (from Catalonia, Spain; land which capital is Barcelona). Architect Porrata Doria is responsible for the design of some of the most important buildings in Ponce, of which the Teatro Fox Delicias and the Banco de Ponce facing the town square, are among his best projects. Significant representations of early 20th century design concepts implemented in Ponce architecture are the Toro residence's "L" shaped balcony, the use of tile, mosaic, stained glass, and the emphasis placed on the dining room within the organizing scheme.
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