Cruceta del Vigía
Cruceta del Vigía (English: The Watchman Cross) is a 100 feet (30 m) tall 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 a horizontal sky bridge that has panoramic views of the city of Ponce and the Caribbean Sea. Visitors can reach the skybridge via glass elevators or a staircase. Made of reinforced concrete, the cross has withstood various natural disasters, including three major hurricanes. The arms of the cross measure 70 feet. It was inaugurated in 1984.
| Cruceta del Vigía | |
|---|---|
View of the cross at night. The city of Ponce shines in the background below the hill. The Caribbean Sea is further to the right. | |
| General information | |
| Status | Open |
| Type | Monument |
| Architectural style | Modern arch style |
| Location | Barrio Portugues Urbano |
| Address | Cerro del Vigía |
| Town or city | Ponce |
| Country | Puerto Rico |
| Coordinates | 18°01′08.35″N 66°37′12.66″W |
| Current tenants | Patronato de Ponce |
| Groundbreaking | 1983 |
| Construction started | 1983 |
| Completed | 1984 |
| Opened | 1984 |
| Inaugurated | 1984 |
| Cost | $650,000 |
| Client | Municipality of Ponce |
| Owner | Autonomous Municipality of Ponce |
| Height | |
| Tip | 110 feet (34 m) |
| Dimensions | |
| Other dimensions | 70 feet (21 m) across |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Steel and Reinforced concrete |
| Floor count | 10 |
| Lifts/elevators | One |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Ruben Colondres |
| Architecture firm | Colondres & Laboy |
| Structural engineer | Jose L. Irizarry |
| Services engineer | Ramon Montero |
| Civil engineer | Axel Bonilla |
| Quantity surveyor | Jose Raul Vazquez-Geli |
| Main contractor | Venegas Construction Corp. |
| Other information | |
| Parking | Lighted Lot |
| Website | |
| http://www.castilloserralles.org/ | |
One of many landmarks of the city of Ponce, the cross 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. It is visited annually by some 100,000 tourists.