The demolition of the Gastizar building: a part of the Basque legacy in Caracas disappears

This article was translated by John R. Bopp

We just found out, thanks to a Basque-Venezuelan, that the Gastizar building has just been torn down.

This building is part of the contribution Basques exiled by the Spanish Civil War made to the architecture of the Venezuelan capital.  It’s a valuable and interesting contribution that has suffered serious damage in recent years, despite being on the list of “Properties of National Interest” or “Properties of Municipal Interest”.

Its designer, Miguel Salvador Cordón, was a Basque who was exiled to Venezuela to flee the dictatorship, and he is the “father” of at least 100 buildings in Caracas.

We’ll leave you, along with the information our Basque-Venezuelan friend sent from Docomomo VE, which talks about the building’s demolition, an article that appeared on the “Medio Digital” website from the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at the Central University of Venezuela, which discusses the Basque contribution to contemporary architecture in Caracas, the world of Miguel Salvador, and some of the most unique buildings built by Basques in those years.  

We’ll also share with you a short documentary about Basque architecture in Las Mercedes y el Rosal in Caracas, Venezuela, designed by Cristina Valladares in 2003.

A great loss for Basque memory in Venezuela, and for the urban heritage of that city.

A la Alcaldía de Baruta se le olvidó q este edificio es patrimonio arquitectónico, aporte del exilio vasco al desarrollo de Las Mercedes CCS pic.twitter.com/BotFrLqcnY

— Luis Trincado (@LuisTrincado) December 4, 2016

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The Facebook site for the “Group of official work of Venezuela for the international documentation and conservation of buildings, sites, and neighborhoods of the Modern Movement”

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Medio Digital – 27/3/2012 – Venezuela

Los difusos límites entre proyectar edificios y firmar los planos durante los años 50

NO SERÍA EXAGERADO CALIFICAR LA EXPERIENCIA de documentar y registrar correctamente los 500 centros urbanos, urbanizaciones, conjuntos o edificios que conformarán la Guía de Arquitectura. Caracas Metropolitana, del valle al mar, (1) como un enorme reto y un mayor compromiso. Este ejercicio conjuga la necesidad de entender su trascendencia, dada la ausencia de publicaciones de esta naturaleza que nos hagan visibles ante el mundo, con la responsabilidad de producir un instrumento didáctico, ameno y hermoso pero, a la vez, riguroso y fiable que le sirva a cualquier ciudadano para entender las circunstancias que rodean y la valía de lo que está observando.

(Continue) (Automatic Translation)

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Basque Architecture in Las Mercedes

(“Basque Architecture in Las Mercedes”, starting 2:19)

 

 

 

Last Updated on Dec 20, 2020 by About Basque Country