The History of Casa Paoli

HISTORY AND RESTORATION OF OUR HEADQUARTERS, CASA PAOLI

Casa Paoli is owned by, and headquarters of, the Puerto Rican Folklore Research Center, Inc. In addition, it was the Ponce headquarters of the Puerto Rican Commission for the Celebration of the Fifth Centennial of the Discovery of America and Puerto Rico; Historical Preservation Society of Puerto Rico, and Educational Improvement Team. It is also the headquarters of the Friends of the Center-Casa Paoli Society. Since 2009, it has been included in the National Registry of Historic Places of Puerto Rico and the USA.

In 1987, the Center acquired the Casa Paoli, thanks to the spirit of solidarity of Jaime Jordán Conesa and Antonio Penna Salicrup and their family.

Casa Paoli, in addition to being the birthplace of the great tenor, was the home of his sister Olivia, who married the prominent journalist and autonomist leader Mario Braschi Rodríguez (1840-1891), who took over the property from his parents after their siblings became independent. Olivia raised nine children, including the prominent journalist Juan Braschi. It was also in this house that Mario Braschi died in the arms of the great Puerto Rican statesman Luis Muñoz Rivera.

Upon the death of her husband, Olivia split her duties as a mother with her responsibilities as founding leader of the Women's League. She taught at her home and at the women's prison that was located in El Castillo, today the Ponce School of Fine Arts. At different times, the Braschi-Paoli residence was visited by important figures in the country: statesman Román Baldorioty de Castro, newspaperman Ramón Marín, composer Eugenio Astol, and sociologist and political figure José Celso Barbosa, among others.

In addition, it was the residence of the great tenor's parents: Domenico [Domingo] Paoli Marcantetti Ramolino, from Corsica, and Amalia Marcano Intriago, from Margarita Island in Venezuela—and their children: Olivia, María Josefa, Carlos, Manuel, Amalia, Domingo, Rosarito, Antonio, and María Hortensia.

Amalia Paoli was the sister of the tenor who was at his side the longest. She abandoned her successful mezzo-soprano career to care for her brother Antonio's voice. Manuel was a great government official; he was secretary to his brothers Antonio and Amalia. He was also the author of many of the press releases and chronicles about Antonio that were published in the country's press in 1922. Carlos, another of his brothers, made a name for himself as a military deputy governor in the Philippines. The building known today as Casa Paoli had the distinction of bringing together members of one of the country's most distinguished families.

Casa Paoli underwent several modifications to its structure over the years. In 1850, it was a "wooden house covered in shingles (AGPR, Notarial Protocols, Ponce, 97 ° 6-2334 and 96-J-2208). By 1860, the tenor's parents had built a:

"... house of upper and lower stories, made of wood and masonry, with a bathroom, kitchen, a toilet with a masonry well, ..." (AGPR, Notarial Protocols, Ponce 97-J-2359 and 96-L- 2221)

In 1908, after the house was abandoned, the upper floor, which was made of wood, collapsed and Gustavo R. Neumann Negrón acquired the structure at public auction.

In 1914, Manuel Domenech (1873-1942) designed the current building for Julio Salicrup. In 1992, the Center restored the building that Domenech redesigned, which we know today as Casa Paoli, under the direction of Professor Néstor Murray-Irizarry, with the guidance of Dr. Ricardo E. Alegria and Architect Pablo Ojeda O'Neill. Its official opening on September 12, 1992, was attended by more than 3,000 people from all over the country.

RESTORATION

The restoration of Casa Paoli was made possible through financial contributions from the Honorable Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican Commission for the Celebration of the Fifth Centennial of the Discovery of America and Puerto Rico, Ponce en Marcha Program, and Institute of Puerto Rican Culture.

In 2018, restoration of the building's façade was necessary, made possible mainly through donations that collected by the Friends of Casa Paoli Committee in New York. The artists Juan Núñez and Omar Ortiz took charge of the restoration, initially on a pro bono basis, and later with remuneration. We deeply appreciate the collaboration of several Friends of Casa Paoli residing in the USA: Nancy B. True, Freebbie Rivera, William Cumpiano, Nitza Tufiño, and Mildred Allen, among others.

The earthquakes of January 6-7 and May 2, 2020, caused significant damage to the historic structure, particularly to the interior walls, which were deemed a danger to public safety. As a result, as had happened in 2018 after Hurricane Maria, the building had to be closed to visitors, but without interrupting the Center's programming, much of which took place outside of the Center's headquarters.

Nestor Murray-Irizarry

July 2020