Before and After...an attempt

I wanted to do a series of posts about Valparaiso's architecture and how it used to look compared to today. So i found a load of old photos of buildings downtown and their addresses from 1925 and headed out. Now, one thing i hadn't foreseen was that although the street names are all the same, they changed all the numbers. I mean, they're not even close now. Another problem was the 1985 earthquake that demolished a lot of old buildings. Some buildings that survived simply had their top floors chopped off meaning they're unrecognisable from their former glories. Another problem is that a lot of old buildings were demolished in the name of 'progress'.

So out of 8 buildings i had in mind, i found 2 that were still there. The other might be around somewhere but i walked for a long time and didn't see them.

The former Banco Anglo is now a Banco Santander. The angle was impossible for this photo. I don't know where the guy took the original from but my guess is in the middle of the fountain behind and with a wide angle lens. The building looks pretty similar but is now missing one of its spire-y things on the roof. It's a really beautiful building-the interior is incredible Some day i'm going to ask if i can take some photos of the details inside but i doubt they'll let me. It is a bank, after all.






The former Banco de Londres is now a ServiPag-it's where you got to pay your bills because direct debits never work and you end up getting your gas and water cut off for the institutional incompetence of the Utility providers and banks. You'll notice that front porchy thing has gone as has a mini-floor in the middle of the building right at the top. Some of the decoration has been stripped off as well and the new windows are cheap aluminium. But at least it's still there.






So, with my plans thwarted, i decided to investigate a building i'd been told about. I can't, unfortunately, remember the story behind the building, just that it was privately owned but with the door open all day long. I went to sneak a peak...the outside of the place is quite nice but the inside is incredible but in pretty bad shape. Have a look at the ornate wood carvings and the sheer quantity of plaster molds around the walls and in the skylight part. Some of the pictures in the molds are really cool. The building is on Serrano 543, between Plaza Sotomayor and where the gas explosion occurred in February. Definitely worth a nosey if you're in town.

Renovations-more discoveries

Between the interior stucco'd adobe walls we found some old newspaper. It dates from 1910. Now we're almost certain the house actually dates from around 1870-1880. The newspaper suggests that modifications were done after the initial construction. This would explain why the entire interior of the house is made from Oregon Pine except the ceiling of the first floor. That ceiling was made from poplar, a softer and more termite friendly wood. This all raises the intriguing possibility that the house is not German like i reported the other day after all. The plaster molds were from the ceiling that had been changed. This almost certainly means that new moldings were fixed in place in 1910. I can sleep a little easier tonight.

Here are some photos of bits of newspaper. Most of what we recovered is from the commercial pages and is all bits of adverts. A few interesting things did show up, however.

This is a letter from 1910. I haven't deciphered much of it yet, it's all a bit of a mishmash. On first glance, it doesn't appear very interesting, no talk of love and affairs or anything.




A social event attended by the President, Pedro Montt and also a celebration of the centenary of Argentine independence



Chile-an explosive country



And finally, 'Caricatures by Wiedner'

A photo

I took this photo on Saturday and for some reason i just really like it. I'm going to share it with you, 'cos i'm good like that. It was taken just behind the La Matriz church.

South of Valpo

Yesterday we took a trip to the towns along the coast south of Valpo. I hadn't been this way for almost 3 years. When the girlf was working for Banco de Chile, we used to go to the company's weekend getaway cabins in Algorrobo.

It's really amazing to see how much has changed in the area. The amount of investment in apartment blocks, 'condominios' (private communities) and new houses was a real suprise. Many of these towns used to be separate but they are now almost joined together. From Algorrobo all the way down to Cartagena, the boundaries between the little towns are becoming blurred.

Some of the projects are simply horrible, but there are a few that caught my eye as pretty decent examples of what can be done with a little effort. The best example was a group of 5 apartment blocks in Mirasol, just south of Algorrobo. Instead of building the generic DIY apartment blocks that blight much of the coast, the architects designed a Southern Spanish, Moorish complex. The result is really good. Unfortunately i couldn't get a single decent angle for a photo but trust me when i say it was pretty spectacular. next time i'm in the area i'll try to get some photos.

Anyway, the first place we visited yesterday was Quintay. Quintay is a small fishing village that really reminded me of some of the little villages in Devon and Cornwall. At least one side of it did. Just around the corner from the idyllic part of the village are 3 hideous tower blocks and many new houses in a private community. Some of the houses are quite nice and fit in ok but the apartment blocks simply ruin the natural look of the place. No thought was made to try to blend the apartments in. Shameful.

Quintay was once a whaling station. The industry shut down when Chile signed up to the 1967 moratorium on whaling. The station was open from around 1945 and in its best year managed to slaughter 1606 whales, including many Blue Whales. That's 5 or so whales a day. Horrible. The station is now open as a privately funded museum and is well worth the 500 pesos (US$1) entry fee. There are a few old photos on display and explanations of what went on but just walking around the place is the best way of understanding the pointless slaughter. All the photos below are of Quintay.















A bit of wildlife




After Quintay we headed down the coast through Tunquen, Algorrobo, El Quisco, Isla Negra and El Tabo before finally arriving in Cartagena.

I found Cartagena fascinating; it used to be a really rich seaside resort and it's easy to see why-the beach is beautiful and the coastline around spectacular. Some of the old architecture is amazing, lots of crumbling Victorian and Gothic mansions. For some reason, the town fell from grace. It's now commonly known as 'Rascagena', which translates roughly as "Chavtown" or "Townieville". Although it advertises itself as the most popular resorts for OAPs, Cartagena is now a cheap resort for the cap wearing lager louts of Chilean society. The beach apparently becomes a large refuse tip in summer as 1000s of delightful young people dump the wrappers of whatever they've drunk or eaten in the sand. Nice. Unfortunately i was too tired to be bothered to take any photos.

For a quick history lesson in Spanish about this place that "en los años 60 se fue al chancho" (went to the dogs) have a read of this article.

I prefer Maitencillo to any of the places we visited yesterday but i have to admit i was really surprised at the levels of investment and progress (depending on your point of view) in the area. If you're visiting Chile, it's worth hiring a car and visiting these places.

I was wrong...yey

In my last post, i might have possibly insinuated in a round about way that the government didn't care about the loss of the Troles in Valpo ("the government doesn't give a flying fuck"). Thankfully, i was wrong. A last minute deal has saved the Troles and the government has promised large wedges of cash to make sure the company doesn't die again.

Un millonario aporte comprometió oficialmente el Gobierno para salvar los tradicionales troles de Valparaíso, con la firma de un convenio realizado ayer en la Plaza Sotomayor.
El acuerdo fue suscrito por autoridades del Ministerio de Transportes y la empresa Trolebuses de Chile, y considera recursos por un monto superior a los mil millones de pesos, que se hará extensivo por los próximos años.
En definitiva, el Estado ingresará como socio en la operación, al comprar -a través de Corfo- 16 trolebuses con valor patrimonial, comprometiéndose a repararlos y mantenerlos.

A basic translation would be that the government has promised multi-million ( in chilean pesos) support for the Troles to save the traditional Troles of Valpo, after officially signing the agreement in the Plaza Sotomayor yesterday. The deal was underwritten by the Transport Ministry and promises resources of around us$2 million aover the next few years. The state will become a an active partner in the company after buying, through CORFO (the development agency) 16 culturally important Trolebuses and promising to repair and maintain them.

big cheer for the government. i guess the transport ministry wanted some good press after the Transantiago disaster.

Valpo's downtown architecture

Here are some photos i took the other day when i was down in El Plan. Some of the architecture in downtown Valpo is really beautiful. A lot of it is in a poor state and there are some hideous newer buildings looming over some of the best older ones. However, one of the few upsides of Valparaiso having been one of Chile's poorest cities for 70-80 years (and continuing to be so even though it's changing fast) is that it didn't receive much investment. Investment in Chile normally means knocking down anything that's vaguely old and building a skyscraper. So Valpo was saved from architectural ruin by financial ruin. Not good for the people but good for the city.



The Naval Club







If you're feeling lonely in Valpo, drop by the Cine Condell-guaranteed to raise your spirits. Or raise something or other. It's one of Valpo's 2 porno cinemas.



The Natural History Museum-there's a separate entrance on the left hand side which takes you down the original level of the house (now underground) from when the sea reached almost as far as Calle Esmeralda. It's a gallery now and well worth a visit, if only to see the construction methods of the time.



There's one of Valpo's Troles. Due to financial problems, the company is about to shut down and the city will lose one of its most important cultural attractions. This being Chile, no one really cares all that much. Unsurprisingly, the government doesn't give a flying fuck.









This is the Cafe Riquet, one of the city's oldest and most famous tea-houses/restaurants. It's been there for over 80 years. The waiter who served us the other day has spent 37 years of his life working there. The owner of the building sold the place and, allegedly, it's illegal for him to sell with the cafe in place (bollocks). So the cafe is going to shut down at any minute. Another part of Valpo's cultural heritage lost (the city was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status due, in large part, to its 'intangible cultural heritage'). This being Chile, no one really cares all that much. Unsurprisingly, the government doesn't give a flying fuck.



Art-deco made it to Valpo











The Turri Clock, El Mercurio (big conservative/fascist newspaper founded by the Edwards family) building, Latin America's first stock-exchange and a building that used to be a Banco Edwards










Not technically downtown, but this is my local bakery



Sometimes i really wonder whether Chileans deserve Valparaiso. The idea of cultural preservation is pretty much non-existent in Chile. The cry of "Abajo, abajo, botalo, botalo" is on the lips of most of the population and most probably taught in schools as the national slogan. As i mentioned before, Valpo was mostly saved from the wrecking ball by poverty. Luck over judgement. Here's a message to Chile, her people and her government:


BIG SHINY NEW DIY SKYSCRAPERS DO NOT NECESSARILY MEAN PROGRESS. DESTRUCTION OF CULTURALLY AND ARCHITECTURALLY IMPORTANT BUILDINGS SIMPLY SHOWS A MAJOR DEFICIENCY IN CULTURE. SHOW THE WORLD THAT CHILE IS MOVING FORWARD BY SHOWING SYMPATHY TO CHILE'S HISTORY AND HERITAGE. (please)

Renovations-terrible news...

Something terrible happened yesterday. i'm getting over it...slowly!

We have some beautiful ceilings moldings that cannot be replaced. We can get similar moldings in plaster but not the same-the corners are faces, the plaster replicas are always some sort of flower arrangement. In one room we have the face of a woman and in another room we have the face of a man. They're really cool.








Due to the termite damage, we have to replace a lot of the wood in the ceilings so yesterday we cut around the moldings in order to rescue them. They're not plaster moldings as is the norm-they're made out of papier maché. They've lasted pretty well-they were put in place around 140 years ago and we managed to save them all. A couple are in poor condition but the idea is to take the best preserved and make plaster molds to put back on the ceilings when we get to that stage.

On close inspection on the papier maché, we found this:





Yes. That's German writing. Horror of all horrors, i bought a German house. This is not good. An upstanding Englishman in a German house. I'll never live it down. To be honest, i'm surprised the house is still standing. I mean, we all know that the Germans are rubbish engineers and that the British are far better at all that stuff.

Still, i think i can live with the German-ness of the house. I think i'll look at it like this:- my great, great-grandfather was from the land of the lederhosen but he took the decision to leave Germany and move to Blighty. He changed his rather unfortunate name from Kuntzi to Conday. (Funny story: I learned of my German heritage during the Euro '96 semi-final between England and Germany. My grandmother decided it was the perfect time to announce very loudly that her grandfather was German-"You're part German, Matthew" is what she said. I was in Scotland. Surrounded by Scottish people. And we lost on penalties. I was a very sour kraut, as you might imagine!) Anyway, I think the house also chose this route. It wants to be English. After all, the previous owner was from the green and pleasant land as well.

Once all the rubbish is cleared away, i'll take some photos of the structure of the house. It's really amazing the way the place was built and the fact that it's still standing with minimal structural damage. I mean, the house is 3 stories high, built into and onto a hill, has one entrance at street level, another entrance halfway down a staircase, a couple of rooms that are, effectively, underground (despite entering almost at street level), from the terrace of the house the drop to the bottom street level is around 8-9 metres and from the top of the house down to the lower street level it's about 30 metres. Oh, and the house is built in the shape of a large ship. Seriously. In fact there's a photo of it somewhere on this blog. Try and find it... Anyway, the original owner must have been quite crazy.

Here's a photo showing the state of a few of the supporting, structural beams. Cheers, termite bastards. You're all going to burn in hell-or my fire place, at least...

Grafitti again

And we're back with more grafitti. New stuff doesn't really appear on a regular basis so i doubt i'll have enough material for another post for a while. Enjoy these.

Local Cafe



A worthy place to skate





Oilver Hardy or is it Charlie Chaplin? And is he going to the toilet?







Legalise it.





Smile



The fisherman's organisation gets in on the act





With hate and without fear-attacking Nazis



Argentine rock legend Charly Garcia has a fan in Valpo









And finally...one of my favourites...