This list of theaters in Ponce, Puerto Rico, consists of both movie theaters as well as the traditional performing arts theaters in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Both historical (including no longer existing) as well a currently operating theaters are listed. During the first half of the 20th century, most theaters have been located in the central urban zone of the city. One prominent exception is Teatro Miramar, the theater that served the Playa community in barrio Playa, Ponce. Today's cinema theaters oftentimes have several screens under a single roof.
No. | Name | Photo | Barrio | Location | Type/Use | Opened (Year) | Halls | Seats | Architect | Style | Demolished Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Teatro La Perla | ![]() | Cuarto | C. Mayor NB and C. Cristina | Musical | 1864 | 1 | 1,047 | Juan Bertoli Calderoni | Neoclassical | Still standing |
2 | Teatro Fox Delicias | ![]() | Segundo | Plaza Muñoz Rivera WB | Cinema | 1931 | 1 | Unk | Francisco Porrata-Doria | Art Deco | Still standing |
3 | Teatro Victoria | ![]() | Segundo | C. Union NB and C. Victoria | Cinema | 1930s [1] | 1 | Unk | Pedro Mendez Mercado? [2] | Art Deco [3] | Still standing |
4 | Teatro Rívoli (former Habana) | ![]() | Tercero | C. Sol EB and C. Leon | Cinema | 1909 [4] | 1 | Unk | Alfredo Wiechers Pieretti [5] | Art Deco [6] | Still standing |
5 | Teatro Broadway | ![]() | Quinto | C. Mayor SB, between C. Sol and C. Isabel | Cinema | 1918 [7] | 1 | 1,000 [8] | Eduardo Salichs [9] | Spanish Colonial Revival [10] | March 1982 [11] |
6 | Teatro Miramar | ![]() | Playa | C. Arias WB and C. Alfonso XII [note 1] | Cinema | Before 1946 [12] | 1 | Unk | Unknown | Art Deco | Still standing |
7 | Teatro Argel | ![]() | Segundo | C. Victoria EB and C. Fogos | Cinema | 1940 [13] [14] | 1 | Unk | Pedro Méndez Mercado [15] [16] [17] | Art Deco | Still standing |
8 | Teatro Rex | ![]() | Sexto | C. Cantera NB and C. Acueducto | Cinema | 1930s [18] | 1 | Unk | Pedro Mendez Mercado? [19] | Art Deco | Still standing |
9 | Teatro Bélgica | ![]() | Cuarto | C. Gran Via WB and C. Colombia | Cinema | 1940 [20] | 1 | Unk | Pedro Mendez Mercado? [21] | Art Deco | Still standing |
10 | Teatro Hollywood | ![]() | Primero | C. Villa EB and C. Esperanza | Cinema | 1930s [22] | 1 | Unk | Pedro Mendez Mercado? [23] | Art Deco | Still standing |
11 | Teatro Universal | ![]() | Segundo | C. Progreso SB and C. Sol | Cinema | 1930s [24] | 1 | Unk | Pedro Mendez Mercado? [25] | Art Deco | Still standing |
12 | Teatro National | ![]() | Cuarto | C. Comercio EB, between C. Cruz and C. Tres (Belgica) | Cinema | 1930s [26] | 1 | Unk | Unknown | Modern | Still standing |
13 | Ponce Towne Center | ![]() | Canas | PR-2 WB and Avenida Barayama NB | Cinema | 1997/2013 [27] | 13 | Unk | Unknown | Modern | Still standing |
14 | Caribbean Cinemas | ![]() | Playa [28] | Plaza del Caribe Mall | Cinema | 1992 | 11 | Unk | Unknown | Modern | Still standing |
15 | El Emperador 1&2 | Machuelo Abajo | Blvd. Miguel Pou WB, Urb. Valle Verde | Cinema | Unknown | 2 | 575 each hall [29] | George Schavran [30] | Modern | 2000 [31] | |
16 | Teatro Apolo (former Mundial) [32] | Quinto | C. Salud SB, between C. Guadalupe and C. Estrella [33] [34] [35] | Cinema | Unknown | 1 | Unk | Unknown | Neoclassical | ca. 1950s | |
17 | Teatro Venus [36] | Unknown | Unknown | Mixed [37] [38] | 1913 [39] [40] | 1 | Unk | Unknown [41] | Unknown | Unknown | |
18 | Teatro Santa María | ![]() | Canas Urbano [42] | C. Ferrocarril WB, between C. Capitan Correa and C. James McManus | Cinema | Unknown | 1 | Unk | Unknown | Modern | ca. 1980s |
19 | Twin Towers | ![]() | San Anton [43] | PR-133 EB, between Av. Las Americas and C. Napoles | Cinema | Unknown | 3 | Unk | Unknown | Modern | Still standing |
20 | Ponce Drive-In | Playa [44] | Ponce Bypass EB and PR-585 | Cinema | Unknown | 1 | Unk | Unknown | Drive-In | ca. 1970s | |
21 | Teatro UPRP | Playa [45] | U. de Puerto Rico en Ponce | Musical | Unknown | 1 | 500 [46] | Unknown | Modern | Still standing | |
22 | Teatro Antonio Paoli [47] | ![]() | Sabanetas [48] | Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico en Ponce | Musical | Unknown | 1 | Unk | Unknown | Modern | Still standing |
23 | Teatro Vicente Murga [49] | ![]() | Canas Urbano [50] | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico | Multi-use | 2015 [51] [lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 700+ [52] | Unknown | Modern | Still standing |
24 | Concha Acústica de Ponce | ![]() | Cuarto [53] | C. Marina NB and C. Campeche | Musical | After ca. 1890s | 1 | Unk | Unknown | Art Deco | Still standing |
Key:
C. = Calle (street)
NB = Northbound
SB = Southbound
WB = Westbound
EB = Eastbound
Rafael Ramos Cobian was the owner of the Victoria, Apolo, Hollywood, Universal, Belgica, Argel, and Nacional theaters; Luis Fortuño Janeiro owned the Rex; Teatro Miramar belonged to the Carlo Family. [54] The first owner of Teatro Broadway was Rafael Napoleonis. [55]
The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico is a private Roman Catholic university with its main campus in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It provides courses leading to Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate degrees in education, business administration, the sciences, and arts and humanities. It also has campuses in Arecibo and Mayagüez, as well as a satellite extension in Coamo. It is also home to a School of Law and a School of Architecture. The university also founded a medical school, Escuela de Medicina de Ponce, in 1977, but in 1980 became an independent entity that eventually became the Ponce Health Sciences University.
Teatro La Perla is a historic theater in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Inaugurated in 1864, it is the second oldest theater of its kind in Puerto Rico, but "the largest and most historic in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean." The theater was named La Perla in honor of the Virgin of Montserrat, known as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean." It is located in barrio Tercero, in the Ponce Historic Zone.
Puerto Rico Highway 123 (PR-123) is a secondary highway that connects the city Arecibo to the city of Ponce. It runs through the towns of Utuado and Adjuntas, before reaching Ponce. A parallel road is being built, PR-10, that is expected to take on most of the traffic currently using PR-123.
Eduardo Neumann Gandía, was one of Puerto Rico's most accomplished historians. He is particularly well known for his nineteenth century book Verdadera y Auténtica Historia de la Ciudad de Ponce: desde sus primitivos tiempos hasta la época contemporánea. His father was Guillermo Neumann, who was mayor of Ponce from 23 April 1851 to 30 September 1851. Eduardo Neumann Gandía's most important work was Benefactores y Hombres Notables de Puerto Rico.. Neumann wrote profusely during a period of 30 years, producing some 20 major works plus numerous articles in newspapers and periodicals.
José de Guzmán Benítez was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 28 February 1901 until 1902. José de Guzmán Benítez is best known for his 1899 campaign initiative, presented to the people of Puerto Rico, asking for the creation of a pro-American political party.
José Ortiz de la Renta was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 1812 to 1814, 1815 to 1816, 1820 to 1821, 1823 to 1826, 1837 to 1838, 1842 to 1843, 1843 to 1844, and in 1846. He has the distinction of having held the office of mayor of Ponce the most — eight times. He was an hacendado.
Ricardo Ulpiano Colóm y Ferrer was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, during part of 1898. He was the second of two mayors to lead the municipality of Ponce under the Spanish Crown's "Decreto Autonómico para Puerto Rico", whereby Puerto Rico was granted autonomy by Spain.
Albergue Caritativo Tricoche or Hospital Tricoche is a historic building located on Calle Tricoche street in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in the city's historic district. It was designed by the Spanish Royal Corps of Engineers. The architecture consists of 19th-century civil architecture. When built in 1878, "it held the top spot among public building in Puerto Rico," based on its size and beauty.
Santiago Oppenheimer Van Rhyn was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1906. He was also a member of the House of Delegates of Puerto Rico.
The Ponce Municipal Band, also known as Centenaria Banda Municipal de Ponce, is the band of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The band is the oldest continuously-performing band in the Caribbean and the oldest music group in Puerto Rico. It has performed its open-air concerts for over 125 years. The current director is Juan García Germaín. It has 42 members between 25 and 83 years old. It operates within the jurisdiction of the Oficina de Desarrollo Cultural of the autonomous municipality of Ponce. Its headquarters are located at the Centro Integrado para el Fortalecimiento de las Artes Musicales, next to Teatro La Perla.
Centro Cultural Carmen Solá de Pereira de Ponce is the cultural center of the city of Ponce, and is located at 70 Cristina street in the Ponce Historic Zone, in Barrio Tercero, Ponce, Puerto Rico. The Center is located in a structure designed in 1870, and it is currently used for educational and cultural activities as well as for art exhibits. Centro Cultural de Ponce was founded on 12 November 1963.
José Lloréns Echevarría was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, for three days, from 8 November 1898 to 10 November 1898.
The Interamerican University of Puerto Rico at Ponce — or Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Ponce (UIPR-P) in Spanish, and often referred to as "La Inter"— is a Christian co-educational non-sectarian university in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1962. It is part of the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico system, whose main campus is in San German, Puerto Rico.
Archivo Histórico de Ponce, officially, Archivo Histórico de Ponce Gladys E. Tormes González, is a historical archive in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is considered "the most complete historical archive in Puerto Rico".
The Fiesta Nacional de la Danza, also known as Semana de la Danza Puertorriqueña, is a cultural celebration that takes place every year in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The festival centers on the danza, a musical genre native from the city of Ponce and oftentimes called "Puerto Rico's classical music" with rhythm, tune, and cadence that are similar to the waltz. The celebration lasts a week and takes place in mid-May. It is sponsored by the Ponce Municipal Government and the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture.
Cementerio Civil de Ponce, a.k.a., Cementerio Municipal de Ponce, is a historic burial ground in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1901. It was designed by Manuel V. Domenech. Some of the people buried at Cementerio Civil include Ruth Fernández, Isabel la Negra and Héctor Lavoe. It is believed to be the largest cemetery in Puerto Rico.
Socorro Girón was a Puerto Rican historian, writer, and scholar. She is best known for her legendary book "Ponce, el teatro La Perla y La Campana de la Almudaina: Historia de Ponce desde sus comienzos hasta la Segunda Decada del Siglo XX."
José Concepción Benítez y Bermúdez was mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1800. He is best remembered for the creation of the Fuerte de San José in 1760 in Playa de Ponce. The fort was in operation until the 1890s.
Pedro Rosalí was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 4 February 1874 until 5 May 1874.