We often walk through the city without knowing the value of the buildings around us. In Chile, there is an architectural multiculturalism that has molded the cities with buildings that, to this day, are awarded a heritage title and are not recognized as such by the inhabitants and visitors.
Valparaiso, the port city, so renowned for its architecture that blends perfectly with the slopes of its hills, has approximately 57 national monuments. Many of these buildings are just a few steps away from the inhabitants, forming a large part of the urban landscape of the city, and are positioned as landmarks in the daily routes of the locals.
Here is a list of the 10 national monuments you can find in Valparaiso:
Location: Sto. Domingo 71, Barrio Puerto.
Style: Neoclassical mixed with Creole architecture.
Design: Basilica plan with a gabled roof.
Materiality: Adobe, wooden trusses, and clay tiles.
Location: Plaza Wheelwrigth 157, Barrio Puerto.
Style: Influences of post-colonial American architecture.
Design: Symmetrical building with a façade of three openings in the form of semicircular arches framed by pilasters.
Materiality: Stone and stuccoed brick.
Location: Yungay 1623.
Architect: Arnaldo Barison and Renato Schiavon.
Style: Neoclassical and Neo-Renaissance.
Design: It has an entrance hall and central staircase that divides the building into two areas where the reading rooms, offices, and warehouses are distributed. The spatial operation that was carried out consists of an extruded rectangle surrounded by 4 streets, which allows all its facades to be appreciated.
Location: Paseo Yugoslavo 176.
Architects: Arnaldo Barison and Renato Schiavon.
Style: Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Modenism.
Design: This 5-story building stands out for its façades decorated with quadrille, its volumes, and the tower with a capital.
Location: Cumming 590, Cerro Cárcel.
Although the heritage buildings are awarded the title for their history, these are the ones that structure the project that gives life to the Cultural Park, becoming the recreational space for the people of Valparaiso.
Location: Avenida Brasil 2950.
Architects: Ernesto Urquieta.
Style: Trends of the late eclectic historicism that developed in Valparaiso at the beginning of the 20th century.
Design: The building has four free-standing façades with neo-Mannerist ornamentation and its interior is notable for its central courtyards, marble staircases, and chapel, among others.
- Lyon Palace, actual Natural History Museum of Valparaiso / 1881
Location: Condell 1546 - 1552.
Architects: Carlos Von Moltke Koefoed.
Style: 19th-century Victorian English style.
Design: Its main façade is notable for its supporting columns and two bow windows, and its interior for the barrel-vaulted ceiling.
Materiality: Brick and partition walls.
Location: Plaza Sotomayor, Valparaiso.
Architects: Ernesto Urquieta.
Style: Eclectic French neoclassicism.
Design: A five-story building with three sections, its façade of projecting and protruding volumes stands out for the ornaments and the mansards that crown the structure.
Location: Almirante Simpson, Cerro Polanco.
It is one of the most unique lifts in the city, as its access is through a 150-metre tunnel and it is the only one that travels vertically.
Location: Independencia 2053
Architects: Otto Anwandter.
Style: Neoclassical and art nouveau influences.
Design: Three-storey building with a continuous façade and neo-baroque ornamentation.
Materiality: Masonry, wooden beams, and partition walls.
