Félix Saurí Vivas

Félix Saurí Vivas
96th Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico
In office
13 May 1895 – 11 July 1895
Preceded by Eduardo Armstrong
Succeeded by Juan José Potous
Personal details
Born December 1850
Mataró, Barcelona, Spain[1][2]
Died 25 December 1915 (aged 65)[3]
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Nationality Puerto Rican
Children Rafael[4]
Residence Casa Saurí, Ponce Puerto Rico
Occupation businessman, hacienda holder
Profession politician

Félix Saurí Vivas (December 1850 – 25 December 1915), also known as Félix Saurí y Vivas, was a Spanish-Puerto Rican businessman and interim Mayor of Ponce, from 11 May 1895 to 11 July 1895.[5]

Career

Saurí Vivas was born in Mataró in the Province of Barcelona to Pedro Saurí and Teresa Vivas.[3] He immigrated to Puerto Rico, where he was a businessman and hacienda holder.[6] He became mayor of Ponce in 1895.[7]

Casa Saurí

In 1882, Saurí Vivas built a two-story home, which later became known as Casa Saurí, in downtown Ponce, across from Plaza Munoz Rivera, in today's Ponce Historic Zone. The house is said to be the third-oldest residence still standing in Ponce.[8] It is located at the corner of Calle Union and Calle Reina. In 1912, his home was used as the first site of Liceo Ponceño, Puerto Rico's first girls-only school.[9]

After Liceo Ponceño vacated the home around the 1950s-1960s, the house was occupied for several years by various small businesses, including a travel agency and a toy store. Subsequently, it was vacant for several years. Then, in 2006-2009, the 1882 Casa Saurí was meticulously renovated and adapted as part of a new hotel, the Ponce Plaza Hotel & Casino, which opened in 2009. The hotel design included a four-story addition located next to the house, and a parking garage.[10][8]

Legacy

In addition to leaving the majestic house in downtown Ponce as his legacy, mayor Félix Saurí Vivas is also honored at Ponce's Park of Illustrious Ponce Citizens.[11] His remains are located in the Cementerio Católico de Ponce.

References

  1. ↑ 1910 United States Federal Census
  2. ↑ New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
  3. 1 2 Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001
  4. ↑ Luis Fortuno Janeiro. Album Histórico de Ponce (1692-1963). Page 374. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Imprenta Fortuno. 1963.
  5. ↑ Socorro Girón. Ponce, el teatro La Perla y La Campana de la Almudaina. Gobierno Municipal de Ponce. 1992. Page 317.
  6. ↑ SAURI v. SAURI. 45 F.2d 90 (1930). SAURI v. SAURI et al. No. 2440. Circuit Court of Appeals, First Circuit. November 26, 1930. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  7. ↑ Ponce: Mayors. Archived 2012-07-07 at the Wayback Machine. Encyclopedia Puerto Rico. Fundación Puertoriqueña de las Humanidades. 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Abre hotel Ramada en Ponce con inversión local", NotiUno, San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  9. ↑ Luis Fortuño Janeiro. Album Histórico de Puerto Rico (1692-1963). Page 374. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Imprenta Fortuño. 1963. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  10. ↑ Hotel Ponce Plaza., Bonnin Orozco Arquitectos. 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  11. ↑ Politics. Travel Ponce. Politics section. Retrieved 28 February 2013.

See also

Political offices
Preceded by
Eduardo Armstrong		 Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico
1895-1895		 Succeeded by
Juan José Potous
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