Alejandro Chataing (February 24, 1873 – April 16, 1928) was an important Venezuelan

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. Chataing was known as the "great constructor of the regime of Cipriano Castro." He was a prolific architect who helped give Caracas a new face.

Introduction

In general, his projects demonstrated a remarkable

eclecticism Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories i ...

, with tendencies that included

neo-renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range ...

neo-romanesque Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

morisco Moriscos (, ; pt, mouriscos ; Spanish for "Moorish") were former Muslims and their descendants whom the Roman Catholic church and the Spanish Crown commanded to convert to Christianity or face compulsory exile after Spain outlawed the open ...

and neo-baroque. At the same time, next to the traditional Venezuelan rubblework, he used

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

foundations, as well as iron

joists A joist is a horizontal structural member used in framing to span an open space, often between beams that subsequently transfer loads to vertical members. When incorporated into a floor framing system, joists serve to provide stiffness to the s ...

in the intrafloor space, a method characteristic of the transitional period between the 19th and 20th centuries.

Career

Early years

Chataing was born in

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. His career began when he received first prize in a contest for the facades of the San Jacinto Caracas town market in 1894. In 1895 he collaborated with his teacher

Juan Hurtado Manrique ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

in the design of the Arch of the Federation on the slopes of

El Calvario El Calvario is a town and municipality in the Meta Department, Colombia. It was the epicenter of the 2008 Colombia earthquake. Climate El Calvario has a borderline subtropical highland climate (Köppen ''Cfb'')/tropical rainforest climate A tr ...

Projects of 1904 and 1905

In 1904, he rebuilt the National Pantheon and constructed the presidential residence of Cipriano Castro in el Paraíso, called Villa Zoila. A year later he modified the structure and the facade of the Military School of la Planicie, with a project imitating the strength of "florentino military style." Between 1904 and 1905, he constructed the National theater, which president Cipriano Castro wished to have emulate the works of

Antonio Guzmán Blanco Antonio José Ramón de La Trinidad y María Guzmán Blanco (28 February 1829 – 28 July 1899) was a Venezuelan military leader, statesman, diplomat and politician. He was the president of Venezuela for three separate terms, from 1870 until ...

. In 1905 he designed the House of Baths in El Valle and modified the School of Arts and offices.

Projects of 1906

In 1906, he took on the project of the construction of a hospital for

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

patients for the island of La Providencia ( es) (at the entrance of

Lake Maracaibo Lake Maracaibo (Spanish: Lago de Maracaibo; Anu: Coquivacoa) is a lagoon in northwestern Venezuela, the largest lake in South America and one of the oldest on Earth, formed 36 million years ago in the Andes Mountains. The fault in the northern se ...

) and of an Arch of the Restoration that would not be completed.

Projects of 1907

In 1907, he completed the palace of the Department of the Interior with the annexed police ward and constructed the building of the Ministry of Housing on the corner of Carmelitas.

Other architectural works

Other architectural works made by Chataing were the National Library (or Bolivarian Museum) in Bolivar plaza in 1910, the General Archives of the Nation in 1912, in 1919 in collaboration with Luis Muñoz Tébar, and the Arch of Carabobo inaugurated by

Juan Vicente Gómez Juan Vicente Gómez Chacón (24 July 1857 – 17 December 1935) was a Venezuelan military general, Politician and ruler of Venezuela from 1908 until his death in 1935. He was president on three occasions during this time, ruling through puppe ...

in 1921. Also with Luis Muñoz Tébar, he finished the church of Heart of Jesus in Caracas, the temple of Saint Augustine of the South and the church of the Servants of the Santísimo Sacramento. In addition to the construction of religious buildings, he took on the project of designing the theaters

Ayacucho Ayacucho (, qu, Ayak'uchu) is the capital city of Ayacucho Region and of Huamanga Province, Ayacucho Region, Peru. During the Inca Empire and Viceroyalty of Peru periods the city was known by the name of Huamanga (Quechua: Wamanga), and it c ...

, Capitol, Princess (today, Rialto cinema in front of Bolivar plaza), the First National City Bank (on the corner of Society) and the Bank of Venezuela on University Avenue. He constructed Las Acacias residence of the Boulton family (today, host of the Command of the National Guard) and conceived the design of the Miramar hotel in Macuto, a project that brought him recognition in 1928. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chataing, Alejandro 1873 births 1928 deaths People from Caracas Venezuelan architects Central University of Venezuela alumni