Manuel V. Domenech

Manuel V. Domenech Ferrer
Manuel V. Domenech Ferrer
109th Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico
	In office; 1904–1904
Preceded by	Antonio Arias
Succeeded by	Luis P. Valdivieso
Personal details
Born	23 March 1869; Isabela, Puerto Rico
Died	15 March 1942 (aged 72); San Juan, Puerto Rico
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Lehigh University
Profession	Politician, Architect

Manuel V. Domenech Ferrer (23 March 1869 – 15 March 1942) was a Puerto Rican politician and engineer. He was mayor of Ponce in 1904, and designer of Casa Armstrong-Poventud, Rosaly-Batiz House, and the 1898 Casas Gemelas (Twin Houses) built for Luis Casals, among others prominent structures.[1]

Early years

Domenech was born in Isabela, Puerto Rico on 23 March 1869. He graduated from Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, United States in 1888.[2] Domenech was also educated at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Studying at Lehigh University exposed Domenech to life in the state of Pennsylvania at a time when that state was experiencing accelerated development in modernistic architecture. Likewise, his education at Rensselaer exposed him to the most advanced techniques in engineering and architecture training available at the time. Located in Troy, New York, Rensselaer also exposed the young student to a region experiencing a great amount of growth and architectural transformation during his time there.[3][4]

Political career

After his return to Puerto Rico, he became was a member of the House of Representatives from 1900 to 1902, and mayor of Ponce in 1904. In 1914 he was named Commissioner in the United States Department of the Interior, becoming one of the first Puerto Rican to hold a presidentially appointed Puerto Rico Cabinet position. Later he was Treasurer of Puerto Rico, from 1930 to 1935. In various occasions he also served as Acting Governor of Puerto Rico.[5] Domenech attended the 1928 Republican National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri as an alternate delegate.

Engineer

Domenech is also known to have acted as municipal architect for the city of Ponce.[6] He was a civil engineer and, in 1914, also rehabilitated the house where "King of Tenors" Antonio Paoli was born and grew up.[7]

Death and burial

Domenech died in 1942 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is buried at Puerto Rico Memorial Cemetery in Carolina, Puerto Rico.

Honors

After his death, a major roadway in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, was named after him. Domenech is also honored at Ponce's Park of the Illustrious Ponce Citizens.[8] In Ponce, there is a street in Urbanizacion Las Delicias of Barrio Magueyes named after him.

References

Jorge Rigau. Puerto Rico 1900: Turn-of-the-Century Architecture in the Hispanic Caribbean, 1890–1930. New York: Rizzoli International Publishers. 1992. pages 124–125.
Pennsylvania Alpha Graduates 1885–1900. Archived 2005-01-03 at the Wayback Machine
Opusculo de la Casa Armstrong-Poventud. Archived 2012-06-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/nominations-and-appointments
Opusculo de la Casa Armstrong-Poventud. Archived 2012-06-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
Buena Vista: Life and Work on a Puerto Rican Hacienda, 1833–1904. Guillermo A. Baralt. Page 5. Accessed 3 April 2018.
US Department of the Interior, National Park Service. NRHP Registration Form. Casa Paoli. 11 August 2009. Accessed 3 April 2018.
Architecture. TravelPonce. Retrieved 18 June 2012.