Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium
Encyclopedia
The Auditorio Juan Pachín Vicéns (English: Juan Pachín Vicens Auditorium), formerly, Coliseo Juan Pachín Vicéns, is a sports venue in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico
. The auditorium opened on May 12, 1972 and is named after renowned basketball
player Juan "Pachín" Vicéns (1934–2007), though it was first dubbed as "coliseum", not "auditorium".
was 7,786 seats. It was remodeled in the mid-90s to add more seating space, and in 2001 the auditorium was again renovated to include an air conditioning system, new scoreboards, new sound system, an acoustics improvement project, and an increase to its seating capacity to more than 12,000 spectators. The auditorium served as one of the sport venues for the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games
.
, and also hosts musical concerts, circuses, conventions, and organization meetings.
In addition to serving as an important sports venue, several non-sports historical events have taken place there. The tumultuous General Assembly of the then-ruling New Progressive Party held there in 1983 led to the creation of a splinter party, the Puerto Rico Renewal Party, by then San Juan mayor Hernán Padilla
and the defeat of Governor Carlos Romero Barceló
in the 1984 gubernatorial elections.
The auditorium was the site of the wake ceremony
for Juan "Pachín" Vicéns who died on February 18, 2007. Ponce mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago
who died on January 17, 2004, had his wake ceremony in the auditorium as well.
Ponce mayoral candidate Ramón Torres Morales, criticized the incumbent opposition PNP
party mayor María Meléndez
for placing a plaque
on the bust that former PPD mayor Churumba had erected at the entrance to the Juan Pachins Vicens auditorium to commemorate the basketball legend.
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
. The auditorium opened on May 12, 1972 and is named after renowned basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player Juan "Pachín" Vicéns (1934–2007), though it was first dubbed as "coliseum", not "auditorium".
History
The auditorium has been remodeled several times. Its original seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
was 7,786 seats. It was remodeled in the mid-90s to add more seating space, and in 2001 the auditorium was again renovated to include an air conditioning system, new scoreboards, new sound system, an acoustics improvement project, and an increase to its seating capacity to more than 12,000 spectators. The auditorium served as one of the sport venues for the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games
1993 Central American and Caribbean Games
The 17th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Ponce, a city in southern Puerto Rico. The Games were held from November 19 to November 30, 1993 and included 3,570 athletes from 32 nations.-Organization and Planning:...
.
Uses
The auditorium is the official venue of the local basketball team the Ponce LionsPonce Lions (basketball)
The Leones de Ponce are a BSN basketball team based in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The Lions are one of the BSN's most successful franchises, having won a total of twelve championships...
, and also hosts musical concerts, circuses, conventions, and organization meetings.
In addition to serving as an important sports venue, several non-sports historical events have taken place there. The tumultuous General Assembly of the then-ruling New Progressive Party held there in 1983 led to the creation of a splinter party, the Puerto Rico Renewal Party, by then San Juan mayor Hernán Padilla
Hernán Padilla
Hernán Padilla in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, is a retired physician and former two-term Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the oldest city in the United States....
and the defeat of Governor Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful...
in the 1984 gubernatorial elections.
The auditorium was the site of the wake ceremony
Wake (ceremony)
A wake is a ceremony associated with death. Traditionally, a wake takes place in the house of the deceased, with the body present; however, modern wakes are often performed at a funeral home. In the United States and Canada it is synonymous with a viewing...
for Juan "Pachín" Vicéns who died on February 18, 2007. Ponce mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago
Rafael Cordero Santiago
Rafael Cordero Santiago – better known as Churumba – was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1989 to 2004. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as the Greatest Lion in reference to the city's nickname of The Lion City of Ponce...
who died on January 17, 2004, had his wake ceremony in the auditorium as well.
Controversy
In April 2011, the 2012 PPDPopular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's current status as a commonwealth....
Ponce mayoral candidate Ramón Torres Morales, criticized the incumbent opposition PNP
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
party mayor María Meléndez
María Meléndez
Dr. María Eloisa Meléndez Altieri, also known as Mayita, is the current mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. She was elected during the Puerto Rican general elections of 2008, becoming the first woman elected to the office in Ponce's political history...
for placing a plaque
Plaque
Plaque or placque may refer to:* Commemorative plaque, a flat ornamental plate or tablet fixed to a wall, used to mark a significant event, person, etc.* Memorial Plaque, issued to next-of-kin of dead British military personnel after World War I...
on the bust that former PPD mayor Churumba had erected at the entrance to the Juan Pachins Vicens auditorium to commemorate the basketball legend.