Blas Cornelio Silva Boucher (1869–1949) was born in Hormigueros, he went to high school in Mayagüez and then studied engineering in Madrid, Spain where he did freelance school work in road, drainage and ports engineering. He then entered the prestigious Spanish National Engineering School where he studied for eight years. He did his practicums in Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia, Spain. He is credited with the creation of the Ponce Creole architectural style even though he was trained as an engineer, not an architect.

He returned to Puerto Rico where he worked as an engineering in the Puerto Rico Public Works Bureau. Three years later, he resigned to establish his own private engineering practice. When the post of City Engineer became vacant in the city of Ponce, Silva was unanimously selected, from among various applicants, as the candidate to fill the position