History
Parque de Bombas, in the heart of Ponce on Plaza Las Delicias behind the cathedral, began in 1882 as an exhibition pavilion designed by Lt. Colonel Máximo de Meana y Guridi. Adapted for firefighting the following year and formally named Estación de Bomberos de Ponce in 1885, it became Puerto Rico’s first fire station. Its striking Moorish and Gothic Revival design, with red-and-black colors later adopted for the city flag, made it a lasting symbol of Ponce. After more than a century of service, including brief use as the mayor’s office after the 1918 earthquake, it was vacated in 1990, restored, and converted into a firefighting museum.
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Ponce, Puerto Rico · United States
