Félix Saurí Vivas

Saurí Vivas was born in Mataró in the Province of Barcelona to Pedro Saurí and Teresa Vivas.^[4] He immigrated to Puerto Rico, where he was a businessman and hacienda holder.^[6] He became mayor of Ponce in 1895.^[7] In the same year, he also founded, with Juan Serralles Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño, one of the leading banking institutions in Puerto Rico for almost a century.^[8]

In 1882, Saurí Vivas built a two-story home, which later became known as Casa Saurí, in downtown Ponce, across from Plaza Muñoz Rivera, in today's Ponce Historic Zone. The house is said to be the third-oldest residence still standing in Ponce.^[9] It is located on the southwest corner of Calle Union and Calle Reina. In 1912, his home was used as the first site of Liceo Ponceño, Puerto Rico's first girls-only school.^[10]

After Liceo Ponceño vacated the home around the 1950s-1960s, the house was occupied for several years by various small businesses, including a travel agency and a toy store. Subsequently, it was vacant for several years. Then, in 2006-2009, the 1882 Casa Saurí was meticulously renovated and adapted as part of a new hotel, the Ponce Plaza Hotel & Casino, which opened in 2009. The hotel design included a four-story addition located next to the house, and a parking garage.^[11][9]

Félix Saurí Vivas died on 25 December 1915 at the age of 65. He was buried at Cementerio Católico San Vicente de Paul in Ponce.^{[citation needed]}

In addition to leaving the majestic house in downtown Ponce as his legacy, mayor Félix Saurí Vivas is also honored at Ponce's Park of Illustrious Ponce Citizens.^[12]

• Ponce, Puerto Rico
• List of Puerto Ricans