The Lima Civic Center ( es, Centro Cívico de Lima) is an architectural complex located next to the

Paseo de los Héroes Navales The Promenade of the Naval Heroes ( es, Paseo de los Héroes Navales) is a public park located in the Historic Centre of Lima, historic centre of Lima. It occupies the first block of the ''Vía Expresa Luis Fernán Bedoya Reyes, Paseo de la Repúb ...

in the district of Lima, on the land previously occupied by the

Lima Penitentiary The Lima Penitentiary ( es, Penitenciaría de Lima), also known simply as ''El Panóptico'', was a prison building that existed in Lima, Peru. It had a panopticon layout, and was designed by Michele Trefogli and Maximiliano Mimey. History The pen ...

. It was projected with the intention of becoming a civic-urban landmark for the city, housing State offices, a hotel and a convention center. Its construction began in 1970 and culminated in 1977 with the inauguration of the main tower of the complex. At 109 meters tall, it was the tallest building in the country for 34 years. It was surpassed in 2011 by the in the San Isidro district.

History

The Civic Center was an original idea of the first government of the architect Fernando Belaúnde Terry, conceived in 1966. Later, after the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

by the

military government A military government is generally any form of government that is administered by military forces, whether or not this government is legal under the laws of the jurisdiction at issue, and whether this government is formed by natives or by an occup ...

Juan Velasco Alvarado Juan Francisco Velasco Alvarado (June 16, 1910 – December 24, 1977) was a Peruvian general who served as the President of Peru after a successful coup d'état against Fernando Belaúnde's presidency in 1968. Under his presidency, nationalism ...

, construction was carried out. Initially it came to house a large number of offices and state dependencies, becoming an important center of activity in the city. However, after the events of February 5, 1975, known as the ''

Limazo The Limazo (from Lima and the Spanish suffix ''azo'', meaning blow or violent), also known as the Febrerazo, was a police strike and attempted coup that occurred in the city of Lima that began on February 3, 1975. The unrest was allegedly instiga ...

'', the facilities suffered great damage, when part of it caught fire and was destroyed. It was the last emblematic work erected in the

historic centre of Lima Located principally in the city centre or Cercado de Lima and Rímac areas, the Historic Centre of Lima is among the most important tourist destinations in Peru. Foundation The city of Lima, the capital of Peru, was founded by Francisco Piz ...

before the arrival of the nineties. In mid-2008, a total remodeling of the complex was carried out, to be reopened as a shopping center. The brutalist finish of the Civic Center buildings disappeared with the remodeling, when the walls were painted and covered with synthetic finishes. On August 27, 2007, Peruvian company ''Urbi Propiedades'', the real estate arm of the Interbank Group, won the thirty-year concession for the Civic Center. This began the construction of the ', which houses a large number of retail stores, a supermarket, bank agencies, a food court, movie theaters, and a mechanical playground for children, among other services. The investment was 30 million dollars. It has a direct connection with the Central Station of the Metropolitan bus system.

Architecture

The architectural style is Brutalist, a current in vogue in Peruvian architecture of that time, which gives the impression of rigidity and firmness to the complex. The main building of the Civic Center of Lima has 33 floors and is 109 meters high. The project also included a hotel tower, the Sheraton Lima Historic Center, which was inaugurated in 1973.

References

{{coord, -12.0562, -77.0371, type:landmark_region:PE, display=title Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces of Peru Buildings and structures in Lima Brutalist architecture Lima District

History

Architecture

See also

References