Hotel Ponce Intercontinental

Hotel Ponce Intercontinental
Former Hotel Ponce Intercontinental over the El Vigia Hill in Barrio Portugues Urbano, Ponce, Puerto Rico
General information
Location	Paseo de la Cruceta Ponce, Puerto Rico
Coordinates	18.02149, -66.62063
Opening	1 February 1960
Closed	1975
Owner	PRIDCO
Management	InterContinental Hotels Group
Technical details
Floor count	7
Design and construction
Architect	William B. Tabler Architects
Other information
Number of rooms	170
Currently closed.

The Hotel Ponce Intercontinental (also known as "El Ponce") is an abandoned hotel with a still existing structure. The structure, and what it once was, is considered a historic landmark and a national icon in the city of Ponce and Puerto Rico at large. The property is currently owned by PRIDCO who bought it from a group of local Ponce industrialists. Its architecture is classical modern.

The hotel is located in the northern section of the city of Ponce, on a hill just north of the El Vigia Hill, behind Cruceta del Vigía and Castillo Serralles. The hotel had a large circular outdoor swimming pool, a ballroom named Salón Ponciana, a cocktail bar named Bar Coquí; and a restaurant called El Cafetal. The hotel is on a lot measuring approximately 25 cuerdas (roughly 25 acres). The land area is 22.5 cuerdas.

The hotel was designed in 1957-58 by American architect William B. Tabler, FAIA. Tabler, whose offices were in New York City, designed hotels worldwide for the Statler chain, Hilton, and Intercontinental.

Tabler designed the Ponce Intercontinental in a modern style with ample space for cross ventilation and light, interior details, and quasi-futuristic traits. The design takes advantage of the location of the building for natural ventilation and exposure to large and spacious panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea from the top sector of the El Vigia Hill in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico.

The architectural design of this hotel is simple but consistent with a curvilinear theme which is unique in Puerto Rico. The concrete shells that housed the restaurant, and activities rooms are geared to take advantage of large open spaces with majestic views of the Caribbean Sea. The use of ornamental roofs is typical of modern architecture of the mid-1950s era.