Post by Dominic Di Cenzo

Unique Concrete, literally travels to Puerto Rico, to bring you this week's #concrete post about the island.   We visit La Cruceta del Vigía (The Watchman’s Cross), a 100 feet (30 meters) tall concrete cross located atop Cerro del Vigía in Ponce, Puerto Rico, across from Museo Castillo Serrallés. It houses a tourist center at its base, a ten-story vertical tower, and the arms of the cross, which measure 70 feet across, house a horizontal sky bridge with panoramic views of the city of Ponce and the Caribbean Sea. One of many landmarks of the city of Ponce, the cross was designed in 1983 by Architect Ruben Colondres of Colondres and Laboy.  Made of reinforced cast in place concrete, the ten-story cross has withstood various natural disasters, including three major hurricanes. The cross, which was built and inaugurated in 1984, sits at the same spot, Cerro del Vigía, where early settlers once looked out for merchant ships and would-be invaders. In 1801, settlers built a small cross on which an observer constantly watched for the ships approaching the Ponce Port. The watchman raised the corresponding flags, to notify local merchants of incoming trade ships, their port of origin or to alert military authorities of possible threats. Today, La Cruceta is owned by the Municipality of Ponce and is currently operated by the "Patronato de Ponce", a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the city's cultural heritage. #concreteconstruction #concretedesign #uniqueconcrete