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The Edificio de la Comandancia en Jefe de la Armada de Chile, also known as Edificio de la Intendencia de Valparaíso, because it was a purpose-built
Intendencia An intendant (; pt, intendente ; es, intendente ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In ...
, is a building designed in an eclectic style with Renaissance Revival architecture elements, which rises 5 floors in height and covers . The main facade of the building faces the
Plaza Sotomayor The Plaza Sotomayor is a plaza in Valparaíso, Chile. It is named after Rafael Sotomayor. The square is lined by buildings occupying full block-fronts of the streets that flank it. The focus of the square is the monument that honors the Chilean sa ...
of Valparaíso and the Monument to the Heroes of Iquique. The building has been the site of historical and social events, which were numerous and important. On January 23, 1979 it was declared a Historic Monument de Chile, at the same time both the Plaza Sotomayor and the surrounding buildings was declared a Zona Típica y de Protección.


History


The former building (1831-1906)

In 1831, the architect Juan Stevenson designed a building to be constructed on the site of the current building, which was originally used as a
custom house A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting c ...
(Aduana de Valparaíso). The custom house moved to a new building inaugurated on September 1, 1855, and the former building went on to be occupied by the Intendencia. The building began to have problems with the
foundations Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...
in the late 19th century, caused by a series of earthquakes and winter floods, and as a result had to be demolished in 1900. The engineer Pedro Palma designed a rebuilding project, but it was not carried out, because the
1906 Valparaíso earthquake The 1906 Valparaíso earthquake hit Valparaíso, Chile, on August 16 at 19:55 local time. Its epicenter was offshore from the Valparaíso Region, and its intensity was estimated at magnitude 8.2 . This earthquake occurred thirty minutes after the ...
destroyed a great part of the city causing a change in the priorities of the government.


The new Intendencia de Valparaíso Building (1907-1973)

A year after the earthquake, architects were invited to participate in a competition to design a new building to be constructed on the same site, meeting the following requirements: serve as the headquarters for the Intendencia de Valparaíso and for the Gobernación Provincial, intendente's residence, serve as a venue for official receptions and as a summer residence for the presidents of Chile. The winning design was done by architect Ernesto Urquieta, who had designed other important buildings in the city, including the main building for the Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, the Teatro Imperio and the Banco Franco-Belga. The design of Urquieta, which was inspired by French palace architecture like the Hôtel de Ville, Paris, consisted of a five-story building with offices for the Intendencia, Comandancia General de Armas, Dirección de Obras Públicas and the Tesorería Fiscal on the first to the third floor; and the residence for the intendente and the presidential apartment on the two highest floors. The building was inaugurated in 1910, as part of the celebrations of the Centennial of Chile, to serve as the local seat of government. Since its opening, the building was the meeting place for the upper social class of the city. The parties that were held in the building, for celebrating historical events such as the 21 de mayo and the 18 de septiembre, were very famous. By 1914,
masquerade balls A masquerade ball (or ''bal masqué'') is an event in which many participants attend in costume wearing a mask. (Compare the word "masque"—a formal written and sung court pageant.) Less formal "costume parties" may be a descendant of this tra ...
were held inside its Salón de Invierno. According to the architect Tomás Eastman Montt, in the mid-1920s a ball was held in honor of Umberto I of Italy in the Salón Rojo of the building, while in the 1950s, the intendente Rivas Vicuña hosted a pompous masquerade ball, comparable with those hosted in 1914. The building served as a presidential residence until 1929, when the then president Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, during the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, ordered the construction of the
Palacio Presidencial de Cerro Castillo The Palace of Cerro Castillo ( Spanish: ''Palacio de Cerro Castillo'') is the official country retreat and summer residence of the President of Chile. Constructed in 1929 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, it is located in Viña del Mar and ...
in
Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located within the Valparaíso Region, and it is Chile's fourth largest city w ...
. In the 1960s, to celebrate a football championship won by the local team, Santiago Wanderers, the intendente Enrique Vicente hosted the first non-aristocratic great party in the building. The team players, the board of directors and some fans were invited to this party. Years later, under the presidency of Salvador Allende (1970-1973), the building was used for the summer months for presidential cabinet meetings and to receive to social leaders for an audience with the president. On November 30, 1971, during the
state visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...
of
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
, he gave a speech from one of the balconies to a crowd of people on the
Plaza Sotomayor The Plaza Sotomayor is a plaza in Valparaíso, Chile. It is named after Rafael Sotomayor. The square is lined by buildings occupying full block-fronts of the streets that flank it. The focus of the square is the monument that honors the Chilean sa ...
.


Military dictatorship of Chile (1973–1990)

During the
1973 Chilean coup d'état The 1973 Chilean coup d'état Enciclopedia Virtual > Historia > Historia de Chile > Del gobierno militar a la democracia" on LaTercera.cl. Retrieved 22 September 2006. In October 1972, Chile suffered the first of many strikes. Among the par ...
, which marked the beginning of the dictadura militar led by general Augusto Pinochet, the Edificio de la Intendencia and other government buildings were seized by Navy sailors since early morning, many of whom had returned to the port of Valparaíso after having put to sea the previous day to take part of the UNITAS Operation conducted by the United States. The then intendente Luis Gutiérrez was surprised by the coup. Shortly after, the building changed hands to the Comandancia en Jefe of the Primera Zona Naval de la Armada. Until then, the headquarters of the Comandancia en Jefe was located on Prat Street, and only the Guarnición Militar operated on the first floor of the building. On the other hand, the Intendencia was relocated in 1982 to a 19-story building built for that purpose, which is located nearby the
plaza Aníbal Pinto The Plaza Aníbal Pinto is a plaza built on reclaimed land in Valparaíso, Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Ant ...
of Valparaíso, and adjacent to the Plaza de la Ciudadanía. Under this new regime, some Navy sailors tortured people in the building. Among them was the journalist Hugo Maldonado, detained on October 4 in La Calera by his connection with sailors opposing the military coup. Maldonado was brought to the building by detectives, before being relocated to Silva Palma Quarters, where he was held prisoner for five years. In 1979, based on a proposal by the National Tourism Service, the building was declared a Historic Monument, due to its historical and architectural value. Besides, the
Plaza Sotomayor The Plaza Sotomayor is a plaza in Valparaíso, Chile. It is named after Rafael Sotomayor. The square is lined by buildings occupying full block-fronts of the streets that flank it. The focus of the square is the monument that honors the Chilean sa ...
and the surrounding buildings were declared a Zona Típica (Heritage District).


Return to democracy until the present

Following the Chilean transition to democracy, the building remained under the control of the Chilean Navy and housing the Comandancia en Jefe de la Primera Zona Naval, the Guarnición Militar de Valparaíso and the Cantón de Reclutamiento 23. Even if there have appeared opinions in favor of returning the building to its original use as seat of local politics, as of 2008 neither the Intendencia nor other authorities have asked for transferring the possession of the building. In 2013, the Centro de Estudios Patrimoniales of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, commissioned by the
Armada de Chile The Chilean Navy ( es, Armada de Chile) is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Origins and the Wars ...
and with the support of the Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales and the municipality of Valparaíso, restored the facade of the building. The exterior of the building was completely painted over. The then grey building was painted blue, similar to its original color. Also was installed a
LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...
lighting system for highlighting the building at the night. Since it was opened until now, the building have been used to host official foreign visits. Like example, in 2016 the
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, (Edward Antony Richard Louis; born 10 March 1964) is a member of the British royal family. He is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest sibl ...
was received with honors.


Description

The design of the building is eclectic and is based on the French Renaissance Revival style used in the construction of palaces like the Hôtel de Ville, Paris. The design also includes Louis XVI style elements. The building is five floors high and features a slightly protruding central wing and two side wings, containing many rooms and halls. The three lower floors were designed to house offices, while other two floors are for being used as official residences. The halls of the central portion of the building have been used for receptions, conferences and official meetings, as well as to receive dignitaries and famous visitors. The main facade of the building features recessed and projecting bays, as well as ornamental plaster and cast stone. The structure is crowned by a
mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...
that overlooks the
Plaza Sotomayor The Plaza Sotomayor is a plaza in Valparaíso, Chile. It is named after Rafael Sotomayor. The square is lined by buildings occupying full block-fronts of the streets that flank it. The focus of the square is the monument that honors the Chilean sa ...
, and its center wing contains a facade clock that is topped by a cupola. The building was originally blue in color like its present color. In the early 1970s, it had a
pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...
-colored appearance, and during the dictadura militar the building was painted gray. The interior of the building has well-preserved light fixture like almost all of its fine furniture, which was made in 1884 by Leroux from Paris. A marble stair leads from the center entrance to the second floor. A
skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History Open ...
rises from the second floor, supported by columns decorated with relief sculptures.


References

{{Reflist, 2 1910 in Chile Buildings and structures completed in 1910 Chilean Navy Palaces in Valparaíso Renaissance Revival architecture in Chile Châteauesque architecture