Type Obelisk Opening date 25 January 1948 Completion date 1948 Materials Granite, Marble | Height approx 20 feet Opened 25 January 1948 Beginning date 1947 | |
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Coordinates 18° 0' 40.6794" N, 66° 36' 49.464" W (N 18.01130, W 66.61374). Location Plaza Degetau at Plaza Las Delicias, Ponce, Puerto Rico Dedicated to The "El Polvorin" fire heroes Similar Residencia Ermelindo Salazar, Residencia Subirá, Centro Español de Ponce, Antiguo Hospital Militar Es, Banco Credito y Ahorro P | ||
The Monumento a los heroes de El Polvorín (Monument to the "El Polvorín" fire heroes) is a monument at Plaza Las Delicias in Ponce, Puerto Rico, dedicated to the seven fire fighters and one civilian that subdued the flames of the "El Polvorin" fire on the night of 25 January 1899.
Contents
Location
The monument is located in a shady area on the eastern half of Plaza Degetau, the southern plaza at Plaza Las Delicias in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Background
On 25 January 1899, a large fire (later dubbed "El Polvorin") threatened the lives of Ponceños, as well as the economy of Puerto Rico as a whole, given Ponce's de facto role as Puerto Rico's banking and agricultural capital. For their success, the group was honored many times both in Ponce and the rest of Puerto Rico. The obelisk was built to honor their memory.
The structure
The obelisk was built in 1948. It replaced the original obelisk built shortly after the 25 January 1899 fire, but which was destroyed by the 1918 Puerto Rico earthquake. The obelisk was erected by a city board consisting of Jaime L. Drew, Antonio Arias, and Antonio Mirabal. This monument is different from the obelisk/tomb built in 1911, and dedicated to the same men, and which stands at the Cementerio Civil de Ponce (Ponce Civil Cemetery).
The four-sided obelisk has four plaques, one on each side.
The plaque facing East reads:
The North-facing plaque lists the honored men, saying:
The Western-facing plaque says:
The plaque facing South reads: