The Casa Roig Museum is a historic house museum and gallery in Humacao, Puerto Rico. It was designed as a residence for the wealthy sugar planter Antonio Roig by the prominent Czech architect and Puerto Rico resident Antonin Nechodoma (1877–1928[3]) and built in 1920.

Casa Roig
Casa Roig in 2020
Location66 Antonio López Street
Humacao, Puerto Rico
Coordinates18°08′53″N 65°49′30″W / 18.147971°N 65.824867°W / 18.147971; -65.824867
Built1920
ArchitectAntonin Nechodoma
Architectural stylePrairie School
Restored1984[1][2]
NRHP reference No.77001550
RNSZH No.2000-(RE)-18-JP-SH
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 17, 1977
Designated RNSZHMay 16, 2001

Description

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Casa Roig was built in the Prairie School style in 1920. The house has a cruciform plan, has two floors and a basement. It is made of concrete and wood and decorated lavishly with stained glass and mosaics. The design follows the Prairie House School style of the architect Louis Sullivan, but especially the unique style of the renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959).[4]

The house was inhabited until 1956. From then on it remained closed until August 13, 1977, when the heirs of Antonio Roig donated the residence to the University of Puerto Rico who adopted the mission to restore and preserve the structure. The work of restoration was carried out by the architects Otto Reyes and Tom Marvel over a period of 10 years. Casa Roig opened its doors to the public in 1989 and since then has served as a physical footprint and testimony of the Prairie School style adapted to the Caribbean, and as a center for cultural diffusion. Casa Roig is considered among the best works of Nechodoma and is the only residential structure built by Nechodoma which still remains complete.[5]

The house was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1977,[6] and on the Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones on May 16, 2001.[7]

The museum's roof sustained damages when Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September 2017.[8]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ University of Puerto Rico (n.d.), Museo Casa Roig (in Spanish), archived from the original on January 6, 2016, retrieved January 5, 2016.
  2. ^ National Park Service; National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (n.d.), "Casa Roig", Historic Places in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary, archived from the original on October 6, 2015, retrieved January 5, 2016.
  3. ^ Marvel, Thomas S. (1994), Antonin Nechodoma, Architect, 1877-1928: The Prairie School in the Caribbean, Gainesville: University Press of Florida, ISBN 978-0-813-01269-8, OCLC 28891109.
  4. ^ "Casa Antonio Roig, 66 Calle Antonio Lopez, Humacao, Humacao Municipio, PR". The Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  5. ^ Tarr, A. (December 1976), National Register of Historic Places Inventory — Nomination Form: Casa Roig (PDF), retrieved January 9, 2016.
  6. ^ "Department of the Interior, Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service: National Register of Historic Places; Annual Listing of Historic Properties", 44 FR 7416 (February 6, 1979), at p. 7581.
  7. ^ GOBIERNO DE PUERTO RICO, JUNTA DE PLANIFICACIÓN DE PUERTO RICO (December 7, 2022). "REGISTRO DE PROPIEDADES DESIGNADAS POR LA JUNTA DE PLANIFICACIÓN DE PUERTO RICO" (PDF). jp.pr.gov.
  8. ^ "Abandonado y en peligro el Museo Casa Roig de Humacao". PR Art NEWS (in Spanish). 19 January 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
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