Built in 1924 as the main office for the expanding Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño bank this building represents one of the last examples of the once popular turn-of-the-century eclectic architecture so common in Ponce after the 1918 earthquake . Banco Crédito was designed and built by Francisco Porrata-Doria , who at the time had recently returned to Puerto Rico after studying engineering at Cornell University and architectural courses at Columbia University . Porrata Doria was one of the island 's finest architects , a pioneer in the development of a local modern architecture , and one of the architects responsible for what can be called " Ponce Monumental Architecture " , of which Banco Crédito is a good example . Among the directors and officers of this prominent bank were some of the most recognized names in the city of Ponce and Puerto Rico at large , including former Ponce mayor , Ulpiano Colóm
1918 earthquake
1918 San Fermín earthquake
Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño (building)