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| Tienda-Almacén Siempreviva | |
|---|---|
| Casa Sigma Mayagüez | |
  Location of Tienda-Almacén Siempreviva in Puerto Rico | |
| Location | Barrio Pueblo, 20 Pablo Casals Street, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico |
| Coordinates | 18°12′03.07″N 67°08′35.37″W / 18.2008528°N 67.1431583°W / 18.2008528; -67.1431583 |
| Built | early 19th century |
| Restored | 2024 |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclasic Creole |
| Invalid designation | |
| Designated | December 2, 2004 |
| Reference no. | 2004-29-02-JP-DE |
Tienda-Almacén Siempreviva now known as Casa Sigma Mayagüez is a historic building located on Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
Built at the beginning of the nineteenth century and designed in the neoclassical Creole style, it is a representative example of the typology of a ground floor masonry building for residential use in a good state of conservation. The property is part of a very particular set of still-standing structures, which are said to have been built to house the residence facilities of the Spanish officers. These houses, located on what is now Ernesto Ramos Antonini Street, towards Pilar Defilló Street (former "Los Mangos" Avenue) to Pablo Casals Street, were built during the last quarter of the nineteenth century following the rules and ordinances established by the Cabildo, after the Great Fire of 1841 for the rebuilding of the Villa de Mayagüez. These ordinances determined for all new construction from the size of the plot, heights, construction materials, and perimeter wall on the site (height and construction material and even mentioned the use of a notebook in which the facades that could be used were designed and that were approved by the Cabildo.
The new lots were distributed giving the owners a term of four to six months to manufacture. It was forbidden to roof the houses with wood to prevent the easy spread of future fires. These ordinances marked a transformation and evolution in the urban fabric and architecture of Mayagüez. Most likely because of the ordinances its architecture has the particular characteristic of having the highest interiors on the island.
The structure operated for many years as the warehouse for a fabric store name "La Siempreviva". After the store shut down it was designated in 2004 by the Puerto Rico Planning Board as a historical building and inducted into the Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones. After many years of disrepair it was purchased in 2022 and work began in its reconstruction. Once reconstruction is completed, one of its intended purposes is to be used as the meeting place for Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity.
References
- Alvarez Cervela, José M. (1983). La Arquitectura Clásica Actual en Mayagüez (in Spanish). Mayaguez, Puerto Rico: Antillian College Press. p. 21.
- GOBIERNO DE PUERTO RICO, JUNTA DE PLANIFICACIÓN DE PUERTO RICO (December 7, 2022). "REGISTRO DE PROPIEDADES DESIGNADAS POR LA JUNTA DE PLANIFICACIÓN DE PUERTO RICO" (PDF). jp.pr.gov.
- "Casa Sigma Mayagüez", Anuario Sigma (in Spanish), p. 69, October 2023, retrieved December 18, 2024