Thursday, 8 November 2007
Wednesday, 7 November 2007
Firefighters
A while ago i posted about the different fire stations in Valparaiso. I walked past a couple more the other day and also went in to the British Company station and had a peek around.
HQ of the Third Company
HQ of the Seventh Company-i was running late at this point so it's a bit of a crappy photo...
And here's the HQ of the Eleventh, British Company
McDonald's used to be here...
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
Downtown Valparaiso...again
Here are some photos i took the other day when we walked over to the bus station to meet a friend. The first five are all from the Plazuela Ecuador and around and then the next five are from along Avenida Pedro Montt (the street on which the nasty Congreso Nacional sits).
There are some gorgeous buildings between Plaza Victoria and Avenida Argentina. Most tourists will never see them, unfortunately, as the whole area just isn't particularly tourist friendly-no bathrooms, no decent cafes or restaurants and a slight edge to it. There are a couple of great markets there to get fresh fruit, veg and seafood and if you're looking for car parts then it's the place to go...but for a nice, relaxing, touristy stroll...maybe on Sundays...but not during the week.
Ornate exterior plaster-work isn't really very common in Valparaiso, nor in Chile in general (especially when compared to Argentina). This building is one of the prettiest i've seen here and the door is the best i've seen in Chile.
This theatre was one of something like 20-odd that Valparaiso had during its hey-day. Now (as far as i can ascertain), the only big one is the Teatro Municipal, pictured below.
There are some gorgeous buildings between Plaza Victoria and Avenida Argentina. Most tourists will never see them, unfortunately, as the whole area just isn't particularly tourist friendly-no bathrooms, no decent cafes or restaurants and a slight edge to it. There are a couple of great markets there to get fresh fruit, veg and seafood and if you're looking for car parts then it's the place to go...but for a nice, relaxing, touristy stroll...maybe on Sundays...but not during the week.
Ornate exterior plaster-work isn't really very common in Valparaiso, nor in Chile in general (especially when compared to Argentina). This building is one of the prettiest i've seen here and the door is the best i've seen in Chile.
This theatre was one of something like 20-odd that Valparaiso had during its hey-day. Now (as far as i can ascertain), the only big one is the Teatro Municipal, pictured below.
Monday, 5 November 2007
Filming Valparaiso
I just popped out to the bakery to get some pan batido and i ran into a film crew filming in the pasaje next door-Pierre Loti. I have no idea what they're filming but the girl in the photos was speaking German so i'm guessing it's a German film...anyone know who she is? The filming is actually causing chaos on Cerro Concepcion and i imagine it's going to take them a while to get finished-every time the girl tried to speak, there was a car honking or a crash from one of the building sites in and around the neighbourhood...the director was getting a little exasperated...
Sunday, 4 November 2007
La Ratonera-Valpo's Shame...for how much longer?
If there's one building that is emblematic of the neglect and lack of respect for Valparaiso's architectural heritage, it is surely the Edificio Luis Cousiño, "affectionately" known as La Ratonera-the Rats' Nest.
(**ignore the writing on the photo, it's not the Subercasseaux, that's on Calle Serrano)
Built in 1883 by Isadora Goyanechea in memory of her late husband, Luis Cousiño a famous and filthy rich local businessman, on the corner of what is now Pasaje Ross and Errazuriz/Blanco right down by the water, the Cousiño was the first building in Valparaiso to take the form of a ship, in a triangular shape. The building withstood the 1906 earthquake and the 1985 earthquake without any trouble whatsoever.
Unfortunately, it couldn't withstand the intentions of its new owner. Clearly someone who wouldn't understand culture even if it came up and kicked him in the arse, the guy bought the Cousiño in the early '90s with the intention of (quiz time):
a) Donating the building to a local children's hospice
b) Renovating the building and restoring it to its former glory
c) Knocking down one of the most important and beautiful buildings in the city in order to build a 20 storey office block
If you chose a or b then you haven't been reading my blog for very long...
Unfortunately for the owner, but fortunately for everyone else, the local citizens' group Ciudadanos Por Valparaiso managed to get the building listed as a Monumento Nacional, meaning that the facade could not be touched unless the whole thing just fell down. So in 1994, the owner decided to let the building rot. In 1997, there was a 'mysterious' fire that burned the entire building down. But not the facade-that's still standing-so still no hope of knocking it down.
Since the fire, the building has suffered from further arson attacks, graffiti and being used as a public toilet by tramps. There have been a number of potential projects but none have come to fruition.
It's been my dream to get hold of this magnificent building and renovate it ever since i first drove past over a year ago. It's in such a key location that its renovation could genuinely set off a chain of projects that would speed up the re-birth of the entire city. My initial calculations saw a minimum profit of over us$2 million by converting the building into: underground parking 1 or 2 floors down, shops on the ground floor (offering cheap rent for 2 years and aiming to attract a high profile 'lifestyle' shop which would serve as a magnet to attract other businesses to the area around), offices on the second floor, luxury apartments on the third and fourth floor and a top restaurant also on the fourth floor. I had even started to talk unofficially to people-Chileans, not foreigners- who might have the cash to invest...and there was interest (especially when the profit figure came up :) .
So i was really disappointed when i heard that the council had bought the building and given it to DUOC (the technical arm of the Universidad Catolica) to fix up. Even so, i'd really like to hope they'll actually do something with the building. The last time a local university bought a large abandoned building, this happened:
The Universidad de Valparaiso knocked it down and then...and only then...did they realise they didn't have the funds to rebuild. Forward thinking at its best.
So far, i've heard nothing of DUOC's plans for the Cousiño. I hope something happens soon but i have my doubts...the council is still apparently trying to get the purchase approved by the government. If i were a government official, i wouldn't give them a penny until they fix up the Palacio Barburizza.
On a more positive note, plans were released last Thursday for the renovation of the Plaza Sotomayor (again). This time, they're going to (finally) close most of the square to traffic and attempt to make it a cafe-centred pedestrian dream. Huge palm trees will be planted and the Muelle Prat, where you take the boat trip around the harbour will also be completely updated. It's actually a pretty good plan and work is due to start next June. The project is being undertaken by the architects responsible for the spectacular Cultural Centre in La Moneda in Santiago. Fingers crossed it'll get underway and be finished on time...
(**ignore the writing on the photo, it's not the Subercasseaux, that's on Calle Serrano)
Built in 1883 by Isadora Goyanechea in memory of her late husband, Luis Cousiño a famous and filthy rich local businessman, on the corner of what is now Pasaje Ross and Errazuriz/Blanco right down by the water, the Cousiño was the first building in Valparaiso to take the form of a ship, in a triangular shape. The building withstood the 1906 earthquake and the 1985 earthquake without any trouble whatsoever.
Unfortunately, it couldn't withstand the intentions of its new owner. Clearly someone who wouldn't understand culture even if it came up and kicked him in the arse, the guy bought the Cousiño in the early '90s with the intention of (quiz time):
a) Donating the building to a local children's hospice
b) Renovating the building and restoring it to its former glory
c) Knocking down one of the most important and beautiful buildings in the city in order to build a 20 storey office block
If you chose a or b then you haven't been reading my blog for very long...
Unfortunately for the owner, but fortunately for everyone else, the local citizens' group Ciudadanos Por Valparaiso managed to get the building listed as a Monumento Nacional, meaning that the facade could not be touched unless the whole thing just fell down. So in 1994, the owner decided to let the building rot. In 1997, there was a 'mysterious' fire that burned the entire building down. But not the facade-that's still standing-so still no hope of knocking it down.
Since the fire, the building has suffered from further arson attacks, graffiti and being used as a public toilet by tramps. There have been a number of potential projects but none have come to fruition.
It's been my dream to get hold of this magnificent building and renovate it ever since i first drove past over a year ago. It's in such a key location that its renovation could genuinely set off a chain of projects that would speed up the re-birth of the entire city. My initial calculations saw a minimum profit of over us$2 million by converting the building into: underground parking 1 or 2 floors down, shops on the ground floor (offering cheap rent for 2 years and aiming to attract a high profile 'lifestyle' shop which would serve as a magnet to attract other businesses to the area around), offices on the second floor, luxury apartments on the third and fourth floor and a top restaurant also on the fourth floor. I had even started to talk unofficially to people-Chileans, not foreigners- who might have the cash to invest...and there was interest (especially when the profit figure came up :) .
So i was really disappointed when i heard that the council had bought the building and given it to DUOC (the technical arm of the Universidad Catolica) to fix up. Even so, i'd really like to hope they'll actually do something with the building. The last time a local university bought a large abandoned building, this happened:
The Universidad de Valparaiso knocked it down and then...and only then...did they realise they didn't have the funds to rebuild. Forward thinking at its best.
So far, i've heard nothing of DUOC's plans for the Cousiño. I hope something happens soon but i have my doubts...the council is still apparently trying to get the purchase approved by the government. If i were a government official, i wouldn't give them a penny until they fix up the Palacio Barburizza.
On a more positive note, plans were released last Thursday for the renovation of the Plaza Sotomayor (again). This time, they're going to (finally) close most of the square to traffic and attempt to make it a cafe-centred pedestrian dream. Huge palm trees will be planted and the Muelle Prat, where you take the boat trip around the harbour will also be completely updated. It's actually a pretty good plan and work is due to start next June. The project is being undertaken by the architects responsible for the spectacular Cultural Centre in La Moneda in Santiago. Fingers crossed it'll get underway and be finished on time...
El Campo
As i mentioned a few posts ago, Lore's dad bought a small plot of land where he's planting cherry trees. There'll be no production for another 5 years or so-about time for his early-ish retirement. The mini-farm (about 6 hectares) is in Ocoa, a small town right next door to Cerro La Campana, a beautiful hiking spot and national park famed for its huge quantity of Chilean Palms, a tree that used to flourish in much of the central region but was almost lost entirely due to it's sap being used for various purposes-the tree had to be felled to get at the sap, not bled like rubber trees.
We went there yesterday to see how things were getting on-the trees, almost 2m high a couple of weeks ago, have been cut back to the first sprouting so it now looks like a big field of bamboo sticks. Not the most attractive. In a year's time, though, when it's all green and the house is finished it's going to be a beautiful spot in which to spend time. And at some point, i'm going to hike up to the top of La Campana, and follow in the footsteps of Charles Darwin. Someday...maybe...
These are going to be over 1m high by late January
There's lots of wildlife to look at, especially small critters like scorpions and lizards. There was this colourful little thing on the deck of the temporary house that's been built. I'll try to take more photos of the surroundings next time i go...
Oh yeah, Chileno wants your help in becoming South America's favourite blog. He's in the running (obviously only there because i didn't know about the competition...) so feel free to support him should you wish to do so...
We went there yesterday to see how things were getting on-the trees, almost 2m high a couple of weeks ago, have been cut back to the first sprouting so it now looks like a big field of bamboo sticks. Not the most attractive. In a year's time, though, when it's all green and the house is finished it's going to be a beautiful spot in which to spend time. And at some point, i'm going to hike up to the top of La Campana, and follow in the footsteps of Charles Darwin. Someday...maybe...
These are going to be over 1m high by late January
There's lots of wildlife to look at, especially small critters like scorpions and lizards. There was this colourful little thing on the deck of the temporary house that's been built. I'll try to take more photos of the surroundings next time i go...
Oh yeah, Chileno wants your help in becoming South America's favourite blog. He's in the running (obviously only there because i didn't know about the competition...) so feel free to support him should you wish to do so...
Thursday, 1 November 2007
Arquitecto Harrington's back
Banks of Valparaiso
As you should already know if you've been reading this blog for a while, Valparaiso was once one of the world's most important ports. It was home to South America's first stock exchange and then the nitrate boom in the north really kicked things off. Valparaiso was the banking centre of the nitrate industry, where all the financial deals that made quite a few people incredibly rich (not the poor workers, of course-mainly foreign i.e. British companies and individuals) were done. This was banking globalisation in the 1800s and early 1900s. These banks left behind some of the best of Valparaiso's downtown architecture, especially on Calles Prat and Cochrane .
Today's banks take their place, some in the original buildings, some in new ones. And there are a lot of banks in Valparaiso, despite the city only recently starting to emerge from decades of gloom...
So here are a few photos of Valparaiso's Wall Street.
This is the incredibly gorgeous Banco Santander that used to be the Banco Londres. It's really quite spectacular inside, identical to a fussy old bank in the City (London, that is) with beautiful woodwork, cornices and mosaic tiles. You'll have to take my word for it-i wasn't allowed to take photos inside when i asked a few weeks ago. Understandable- it is a bank.
There's another Santander opposite
Citibank
Banco Itau
Oriencoop
Banco Estado
Banco de Chile (also pretty fine inside)
Technically not a bank, Servipag is where you go to pay your bills
Scotiabank
Corpobanca
BBVA
Banco Edwards (now part of Banco de Chile)
BCI workers get the worst bank building in the city
Banco Condell has a slightly groovy building to call home
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