Concha Acústica de Ponce
|
Concha Acústica de Ponce, seen from behind the stage | |
| Former names | Parque de la Abolición (1956-1962) |
|---|---|
| Address | Marina and Salud Streets |
| Location | Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Coordinates | 18° 00' 22.78"N; 66° 36' 45.79"W |
| Owner | Municipality of Ponce |
| Type | Amphitheatre |
| Seating type | Concrete benches; lawn area |
| Capacity | 2,000[1] |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1880s |
| Opened | 1890s |
| Renovated | 1956[2] |
Concha Acústica de Ponce (English: Ponce Acoustic Shell) is an open-air music and performing arts amphitheater venue in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is part of the Parque de la Abolición park, the only park in the Caribbean dedicated to commemorating the abolition of slavery. Concha Acústica was built in 1956 together with the adjacent Monumento a la abolición de la esclavitud.[3]
Location and features
The amphiteater is located on Avenida Hostos at the fork of Salud Street and Marina Street. The centerpiece of the park is an obelisk commemorating the abolition of slavery, Monumento a la abolición de la exclavitud. Immediately north of the obelisk is Concha Acústica, which completes the park as a complete triangular city block. Presentations in this open-air auditorium include those by the Ponce Municipal Band and Ponce Jazz Festival. Concha Acustica can seat up to 2,000 people.[4] Seats in the audience portion of the amphitheater consist of long concrete benches capable of seating several entire families each. The park was built in the 1890s and remodeled in 1956 by Francisco Porrata Doria, an architect from Ponce.[5]
Venue creation
In 1874, a year after the abolition of slavery, a group of citizens built a small park in memory of the historic event. In 1880 Olimpio Otero, Juan Mayoral Barnés, and Román Baldorioty de Castro were instrumental in creating the concept for a park dedicated to the commemorating the abolition of slavery, the only such memorial in the Caribbean.[6] Juan Mayoral Barnés brought the idea for the creation of the park to the Ponce Municipal Assembly on March 14, 1880. It was unanimously approved by the Assembly, and ratified by the Central Government, and confirmed by Royal Decree on March 1, 1881.[7] The park was built in the 1890s and renovated in 1956, under the administration of Ponce mayor Andrés Grillasca Salas.[8]
Further reading
- Ni la lluvia frenó al Ponce Jazz Fest. (By Reinaldo Millán. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 30, Issue 1535. Page 26. 1 May 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2013.), photo of the Concha Acústica and amphitheater of Abolition Park.
External links
- See closeup photo of Concha Acustica Here
- Photo of Parque de la Abolicion (ca. 1906) before the obelisk was built
References
- ↑ Explore Puerto Rico. By Harry S. Pariser. San Francisco: Manatee Press. Page 244. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
- ↑ Ponce: Informacion para estudiantes. Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ↑ Informacion sobre Ponce - Para Estudiantes. Ponce Municipal Government. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ↑ Explore Puerto Rico. By Harry S. Pariser. San Francisco: Manatee Press. Page 244. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
- ↑ Tourist Attractions: Enjoy Ponce, Southern Experience. Brochure. Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Office of Tourism Development. August 2010.
- ↑ Parque de la Abolición - Commemorating the End of an Era. NewMedia Holdings, Inc. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ↑ Verdadera y Autentica Historia de la Ciudad de Ponce. By Dr. Eduardo Neumann. 1913. (In Spanish) Reprinted by the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (1987)Pages 99-100.
- ↑ Parque y Obelisco de la abolición de la esclavitud y concha acústica. Ponce, Ciudad Señorial: Walking Tour. Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
Coordinates: 18°00′22.7874″N 66°36′45.7914″W / 18.006329833°N 66.612719833°W