In 1903 the Roosevelt Industrial School was built on land where the US military had its munitions depot that caused the fire.

[13] The most continuous side of the E-shaped structure constitutes the front facade; it is articulated to best reflect and express the internal organization in plan.

Set back from the street, the front facade is enhanced by two small green parterres adjoining the concrete-iron fence and sidewalk.

The elevation includes Doric columns and pilasters running two stories high, identical pediments at each end and an escutcheon-like crowning piece with a clock.

The original wood floor finish is still retained in the library, the auditorium, and many of the classrooms; some have been substituted or changed to concrete.

Glazed concrete tile is found at the lobby, where the original iron grilles, of geometrical design, are still in use.

The auditorium was adapted to air conditioning features, with acoustic ceiling and related fixtures having been added.

In spite of it all, and probably, because of the school's imposing scale, well balanced proportions and well-kept classical detailing, the integrity has not yet been lost.

In that sense, these are the most representative examples of school building ideas being developed at the time in the United States by architects of renown, such as Haussander and Perkins of Chicago, Snyder of New York, Cooper of Boston and, especially, William B. Ittner of St.

Strikingly significant is the fact that with the choice of building vocabulary (strongly reminiscent of Mc Kim, Mead & White's Pennsylvania Station in New York) the use of the neoclassical style for educational structures was introduced in Puerto Rico.

[14] So far, the name of the architect for Ponce High School remains a mystery, although many facts point to Adrian C. Finlayson as its designer.

[15] Mr. Finlayson was, at the time, architect of the Insular Government's Interior Department, and was responsible for many other structures of similar use, size and style.

Its auditorium sponsored drama events that were later acknowledged as definitive for the formation of a Puerto Rican theatrical tradition.

In conclusion, the architecture of Ponce High stands out among the Island's built legacy for historic, stylistic, conceptual and symbolic reasons.