An open-concept home with three divisions. A structural wall separates the kitchen and a small bathroom from the main living quarters. This house is located on what used to be a pineapple farm owned by businessman Lee H. Vendig. The 1910's and 20's were a time of economic growth and cultural rennaissance for Manatí, thus the municipal government expanded its urban settlements on plots of land developed and later donated by the Vendig family. This led to the construction of what is known today as the "ensanche," or enlargement of the urban areas. In 1921, businessmen Juan Navarro and Juan Parés Rosa had a new theater built on this new section of the city. This theater was first known as "Teatro Atenas." Ask any manatieño about this famous theater, and they will proudly say it is where the legendary tango singer Carlos Gardel made one of his electrifying presentations while on tour in the island, back in the 1920's. Seizing the opportunity, Manatí's municipal police comissioner Domingo Rivera Cabrera bought a plot of land where he would build a neoclassic style house right in front of Manatí's new prestigious theater on that same year. Shortly after building the house, Domingo Rivera was appointed police comissioner for the municipality of Caguas and sold the house to the prominent Vidal-Diez family. The house, as well as the theater, would have many owners and different uses throughout the following decades, but both would always remain an important landmark of the community's urban landscape. In 2017, the last owner of the house died of old age and the heirs wanted to get rid of the property. As historians and proponents of historical preservation, we decided to contribute our grain of sand towards my hometown's historical legacy by restoring this old and beautiful architectural jewel that, along with the rechristened "Teatro Borinquen," has served as a landmark for the people of Manatí's urban area.

Host is a historian interested in historical architectural preservation and its social positive effects.

This neighborhood was developed in the 1920's as an extension of the historical urban center. It is locally known as "El Ensanche".