U.S. Custom House (Mayagüez, Puerto Rico)
Encyclopedia
The U.S. Customs House or "Edificio Aduana" is a historic custom house
building located at Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
. As of February 10, 1988, the building was owned by the U.S. Customs Service, Washington, D.C.
. In 1898 the building became a custom house
. It originally had two floors but the second story was destroyed by the earthquake of 1918
. Its present architectonic line is from the year 1924, being the work of engineers Huiguera and Besosa, being its architect Mr. Rafael Carmoega. On September 30, 1981 it was declared a Historical Building of the United States.
style. The structure is manufactured completely in reinforced concrete
and the floors of terrazzo edged with white marble.
Custom House
A custom house or customs house was a building housing the offices for the government officials who processed the paperwork for the import and export of goods into and out of a country. Customs officials also collected customs duty on imported goods....
building located at Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. As of February 10, 1988, the building was owned by the U.S. Customs Service, Washington, D.C.
History
It was built in 1838 to accommodate and lodge distinguished visitors that reached the port of MayagüezPort of Mayagüez
The Port of Mayagüez, located northwest of downtown Mayagüez, is the third busiest port on Puerto Rico.. The port is situated along Puerto Rico routes 64, 341, and 3341, and stretches for 3.8 miles along the coast. Its main canal is .4 miles wide and its depth ranges from 47 to 120 feet, the...
. In 1898 the building became a custom house
Custom House
A custom house or customs house was a building housing the offices for the government officials who processed the paperwork for the import and export of goods into and out of a country. Customs officials also collected customs duty on imported goods....
. It originally had two floors but the second story was destroyed by the earthquake of 1918
1918 Puerto Rico earthquake
The San Fermín earthquake, also known as the Puerto Rico earthquake of 1918, was a major earthquake that struck the island of Puerto Rico at 10:14am on October 11, 1918. The magnitude for the earthquake has been reported at around 7.5 ; however, that might not be an exact number...
. Its present architectonic line is from the year 1924, being the work of engineers Huiguera and Besosa, being its architect Mr. Rafael Carmoega. On September 30, 1981 it was declared a Historical Building of the United States.
Architecture
The most important construction of the city of Mayagüez in attention to its general aesthetic values it is a beautiful building of "anfipróstilo" (two portals) style. Doric order (capitel) its influence being grecoroman, Tuscan and numbering "octástila" in smooth column (fuste) and "basas áticas". The building is surrounded by arches and semi-pilasters that puts one in contact with a neoclassical style of Roman influence. It exhibits two pediments very sincréticos decorative and balustrades. The structures upper portions are adorned with plates and "dentellones" of baroque influence. Its interior is of great beauty and of a Renaissance aesthetics of the MichelangeloMichelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
style. The structure is manufactured completely in reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
and the floors of terrazzo edged with white marble.