Ponce Historic Zone

Ponce Historic Zone Zona Histórica de Ponce
Historic Zone
Parque de Bombas, the iconic symbol of the Historic Zone
Nickname(s): La Perla del Sur
Motto: Ponce es Ponce
Map of the Historic Zone within the municipality of Ponce

The Ponce Historic Zone (La Zona Histórica de Ponce) is a historic district in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico, consisting of buildings and structures with architecture that date to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The zone was originally designated in 1962, and initially included only the center core of the city, but it has since been expanded to include a much larger area. On November 17, 2005, then-Governor of Puerto Rico, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, signed Executive Order Number 72, approving the historic Ponce center as a Historic Center of First Order. The zone goes by various names, including Ponce Tradicional (Traditional Ponce),Ponce Centro (Ponce Center),Ponce Histórico (Historic Ponce), and Distrito Histórico (Historic District).

The zone is located in what is commonly called Ponce Pueblo ("Ponce Town") – the central downtown and oldest area of the city. While there are several roads that lead to it, the most typical point of entry is via PR-1 which, at its southern terminus, becomes Lolita Tizol street and turns into Isabel street, leading to the heart of Ponce at the Plaza Las Delicias. A map of the area covered by the Ponce Historic Zone is available from the government of the municipality of Ponce.

In addition to Plaza Las Delicias with its unique Parque de Bombas and Nuestra Señora de la Guadalupe Cathedral, the zone includes landmarks such as Ponce City Hall, Armstrong-Poventud Residence, Ponce High School, and Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro. Numerous other attractions in this historic area are listed in the NRHP, such as Banco de Ponce, Casa Paoli, and Casa de la Masacre. Others, such as Teatro Fox Delicias, Teatro La Perla, Plaza de Mercado, Hotel Meliá, and are not listed but possess significant historical value. Street corners in most of this zone have chamfered corners (Spanish: esquinas de chaflán), typical of Barcelona, Spain.