Bija: The Architect of Memory

Arcihect Alfredo Wiechers, known as Bija to his family and friends, was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. After completing his studies at L'École Speciale d'Architecture" in París in 1905, Wiechers lived in Barcelona where he worked for the renowned architect Enric Sagnier i Villavecchia who became his mentor. The book explores the archectural influence Barcelona had upon the construction of modern Ponce, Puerto Rico. Wiechers returned to Ponce in 1911 and infused all his projects ---hotels, stores, homes, mausoleums and factories, with a creative mixture of distinctively Catalan elements and inventive solutions to tropical environment. As most of his clients were prominent Puerto Rican families of Catalonian origin, memories of Barcleona and Catalunya dominate his creative thoughts and work. Today, Ponce is still known as “Little Barcelona” due in large part to Wiechers work, most of which still stands today as a tribute to Catalonian influence in the Caribbean.