Ponce Historic Zone

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).

Location

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.