Comercio 42-44: Earthquake Repair/Retrofit

Ponce, Puerto Rico

Comercio 42-44 is a warehousing facility located in the Playa de Ponce sector. The actual building has gone through various rehabilitation, expansion and improvement projects throughout its history, and is now composed of six sections that at some other point functioned as separate buildings for individual businesses. The Playa sector has been an industry hub in Ponce for a couple of centuries, which is why the oldest parts of the warehouse, on the western half of the building, date back to the 1860’s and beyond. It is this section that sustained the most damage during the January 7, 2020 earthquake. The exterior walls, built of stone and brick masonry, were severely shaken, sustaining considerable structural damage. Crack patterns appeared in vertical, diagonal and horizontal arrays.

Our work for this facility has been mostly focused on finding ways to repair the masonry walls in order to preserve their architectural, historical and cultural value. The documentation and design process has exposed the fact that it is better to restore than to demolish and rebuild, in both practical and economic terms. By working hand in hand with the owners, contractor and insurance agents, we have developed a process of investigation, discussion and communication that promotes trust between the parties and better understanding of the issues involved in the repair process.

Having first completed a phase of investigation and survey (interrupted by the Covid-19 situation), the project team has entered a phase of initial repairs, and will soon be working directly with government officials from the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña and the construction permits office, in order to obtain endorsements and authorizations, without delaying the necessary work.

The property was previously rehabilitated in 2002, when the owners of Comercio 42 acquired Comercio 44 and expanded the existing warehousing facility. At the time, Comercio 44 was composed of three building sections, roofless and in severe state of deterioration. The street name had recently been changed from Comercio to Salmón… we use the old name for sentimental reasons.