Ricardo Bastida (15 August 1879 in
Bilbao
)
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Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
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– 15 October 1953) was a
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
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 ...
who was instrumental behind many important buildings in Bilbao and
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
. In 1923 he proposed a plan of extension of Bilbao to the mouth of Abra, a visionary project that would result in the current
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
.
Early life and education
Bastida was born in one of the primary neighbourhoods of Bilbao on 15 October 1879.
His father, Luis de Bastida y Azcuenaga, studied a naval officer degree, but he worked as a Mathematics teacher in San Antonio School in Bilbao. His mother, Josefa Bilbao Landazuri, obtained the qualification of Master of Primary Education in 1867 and she gave birth to six children.
Thanks to his parents academic training, culture occupied an important role in the Bastida family. Ricardo, showed a great facility for drawing and excelled in Mathematics. He trusted his father to make many decisions, such as choice of profession. He completed his early studies in Achuri's Public Schools and Secondary School in "Plaza de las Auxiliares", where he met the famous painter
Aurelio Arteta
Aurelio Arteta Errasti (2 December 1879 – 10 November 1940) was a Spanish painter who worked in several styles, including Symbolism, Cubism and Social Realism. He is remembered mostly for his murals.
Biography
Arteta was born in Bilbao; his ...
, with whom he developed a close friendship.
Biography and career
*1895-1901: In 1895, Ricardo received in the university district of
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...
the high school title with a remarkable average of a grade of B in Arts and a grade of outstanding in Sciences. That same year he joined the School of Architecture of
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
. His love of photography started then. Snapshots were revealed by him in a small home lab.
*1902-1904: During these years Ricardo ends, at the age of 22, his studies of architecture and he returns to Bilbao. Anxious and excited, he entered the studio of architect Severino de Achucarro, author, with Paul Alzola and Ernesto Hoffmeyer engineers, of the extension project of Bilbao 1876. In 1903 he incorporated into the municipality of the town as an assistant Achucarro. Bastida's collaboration with the Bilbao administration lasted 50 years. In 1904 the project of the enlargement of 1876 had limitations or lack of ambition that the same authors acknowledged during its execution. In order to find a better solution, the City Council held a public competition Bilbao expansion, which is presented jointly by Bastida and Pedro Guimón. Later, Bastida joined the teaching staff of the School of Arts and Crafts in Bilbao.
![Bilbao - Alhondiga](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Bilbao_-_Alhondiga.jpg)
*1905-1906: Bastida was commissioned to raise various public facilities. Commissioned by the town hall, he travelled in 1905 to develop comparative studies to different European cities:
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
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, postal ...
,
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
,
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
,
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, ... When he returned, he projected the "
Alhóndiga Municipal de Bilbao", "
Lavaderos de la alameda de San Mamés" and "
Calle Castaños". In those three buildings and in the disappeared cinema Olimpia made the nearest approach to modernism of his career. Despite the high costs involved of traveling in those years, Bastida went, throughout his life and on behalf of the town hall, to various centers in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and America. Thus he acquired an excellent cultural preparation that was completed with visits to museums, factories, hospitals, etc.
*1907: Bastida was named Architect Head of Civil Construction of the City of Bilbao, a position he held until 1927. In this time interval he could devise some of the most relevant projects, many of which were not carried out because it had not obtained the final approval of the administrative bodies. He designed the "
Parque del Ensanche" with the engineer
Juan Eguiraun.
*1908-1910: Bastida was still living with his parents and siblings. Later,
José Uribe y Zarraonaindia asks for plans for a detached house in
Ondarroa
Ondarroa is a town and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, northern Spain.
Main sights
*Church of St. Mary, ...
, a village of
Biscay
Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao.
B ...
. Years later, the house passed to the architect, who used it as a summer residence. In 1909 the "Alhondiga Municipal de Bilbao" opened. The expansion of the city brought to its inhabitants cosmopolitan concerns, so the idea of holding an International Exhibition in Bilbao arises.
*1911: Bastida took over the post of deputy director of the
School of Arts and Crafts and Foremen. There he gave a series of lectures about the history of art. During the summer of 1911, his partner and friend
Pedro Guimón encouraged Bastida to visit him at Ondarroa, where he spent the holidays. There, he was introduced to Rosario Lecea, which then became his wife. She was the daughter of a sea captain, she was born in
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
, the
Philippine
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
's capital. She lived in Ondarroa with her mother until his father's death in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
.
*1912-1915: For professional reasons he went back to Europe to visit the School of Arts and Crafts in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
,
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
,
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
and
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
. He also undertook a study for the "Parque del Ensanche". On January 8, 1913, Ricardo Bastida and Rosario Lecea married. The religious ceremony was held in the parish of St. Mary of Ondarroa. Then, they went on their honeymoon to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
Zurich,
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
,
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
and other
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
cities. When they returned, they settled in the house of the architect of the street Ercilla. The couple had eight children: Ricardo, Juan Luis, Rosario, Jose María, María Victoria, Eloisa, Carmen and Teresa.In 1914, commissioned by the "
Caja de Ahorros de Bilbao" Bastida ends the project "
Casa Cuna de San Antonio", in
Urazurrutia.After a year, in 1915, with population overflow, Bilbao could not cope with the defective schools. To alleviate the excess of admissions applications, Bastida projected, by order of the town hall, schools in
Indautxu
Indautxu is a quarter of central Bilbao, Basque Country (Spain), located in the district of Abando. It is a relatively affluent neighbourhood and is most famous for the large number of private hospitals and clinics, the large Society of Jesus sch ...
.
*1916-1920: In 1916, Indalecio Prieto Tuero was elected councillor of the town hall in Bilbao . Despite ideological differences between Bastida and Prieto, they formed a deep friendship. They admired and respected each other, and they were united by a desire to improve the life of the society in which they lived. Later, in 1919, Bastida designed the branch of "
Banco de Bilbao
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (), better known by its initialism BBVA, is a Spanish multinational financial services company based in Madrid and Bilbao, Spain. It is one of the largest financial institutions in the world, and is prese ...
" in "
Calle Alcalá".
*1921-1922: Three walls of the detached house of Ondarroa were available for Aurelio Arteta to paint them. Arteta reflected scenes of Basque villages' religious festivities in blues and greens, which continued at that place until they were transferred to another support. Years later, in 1963, the children of the architect donated them to the "
Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao
The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum (Spanish: ''Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao'', Basque: ''Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa'') is an art museum located in the city of Bilbao, Spain. The building of the museum is located entirely inside the city's Doña Casild ...
". The house was demolished soon after. Regarding his hobbies in those years, in addition to cinema and photography, were simple. He really had little leisure time. Walking was the most practiced sport, as he moved walking everywhere when he was in Bilbao and in Ondarroa he went over
Lekeitio
Lekeitio (; es, Lequeitio) is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Spanish Autonomous Community of Basque Country, northeast from Bilbao. The municipality has 7,307 inhabitants (2019) and is one of the most importa ...
or
Mutriku
Mutriku ( es, Motrico) is a coastal town located in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country in northern Spain. It has a population of around 5000 and provides access to the Bay of Biscay. It is the site of the worl ...
, accompanied by their children. He also practiced rowing and bathing on the beach. In 1922 he completed the construction of "Torre Urizar" and headquarters of "Banco de Bilbao" in Madrid. In turn, he was named architect of the entity, a position he held until his death.
*1925-1926: In March he presented the plans for the project "Enlaces de Bilbao con los Pueblos Colindantes", which featured a sketch in 1923. Also, he proposed to centralize railways and bus lines in one station located in
Abando
Abando, formerly known as ''San Vicente de Abando'', is one of the eight districts of Bilbao, Basque Country (Spain). It covers most of the city's centre, located on the left bank of the estuary of Bilbao. It is the only district of Bilbao with ...
. In 1926, he participated in the international planning competition for the extension of Bilbao, making a group with Marcelino Odriozola. Emiliano Amann organized a U.S. tour which Bastida and his eldest son joined. The group visited different cities, such as New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago and Detroit.
*1927-1928: He presented two drafts for "
Puente de Begoña", one mobile and the other fixed. That project and 1923's one, joined Abando and
Deusto
Deusto, also known as Deustu in Basque and formerly known as ''San Pedro de Deusto'', is one of the eight districts of Bilbao
)
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as mobile bridges that allowed the passage of ships. However, its high cost caused many misgivings.
*1929-1932: The architect continued building detached houses in
Ondategi
Ondategi is a town located in the province of Álava, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the North of Spain.
External links
ONDATEGI in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)Information avai ...
. Bastida projected about twenty houses in
Getxo
Getxo () is a town located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in Spain.
It is part of Greater Bilbao, and has 77,946 inhabitants (2019). Getxo is mostly an affluent residential area, as well as being the ...
, most commissioned by Sota. Moreover, in April 1932, the "
Puente de Deusto" started to build.
*1936-1937: Mobile bridges Deusto and town hall finally unite both sides of the river. But on the eve of the entry of the National Army in Bilbao (the June 19, 1937), the besieged command ordered to demolish the aforementioned bridges that had been so painstakingly built. On September 15, Ricardo, Bastida's eldest son and student of architecture, died in the war. Two days later, his funeral was held in Bilbao with the assistance of many people. Years later, the new mayor,
Jose María de Areilza, commissioned Bastida the reconstruction of the movable bridges.
*1938-1939: He reformed and expanded the first tuberculosis sanatorium building of Santa Maria, in Bilbao. In this, as in other religious or charitable work, he did not charge remuneration. As a result of hatreds and passions unleashed by the war and by the friendship he had with Prieto, Bastida suffered some records. He was not imprisoned, but suspended without salary and employment. Fortunately, the accusations were cleared, as the complainants themselves corrected their accusations and the architect, showing his goodness forgave them. After the
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, Ricardo Bastida was 59 years old. Despite the hardships and affronts suffered, resumed his career with enthusiasm.
*1940-1943: In 1941 he outlined a draft for other sanatorium in Santa Marina, now for tuberculous children. Also, he designed the "Estación Central de Autobuses" in Bilbao. A year later, he planned with Emiliano Amann social homes of Torre Madariaga. And in 1943 he built the "Iglesia del Buen Pastor" in
Lutxana.
*1947-1950: By this time two of his sons were married and the family kept the habit of spending the summer in Ondarroa. Grandchildren were new companions of the architect on his strolls and the subjects of his photographs and films. The eager temperament might suggest otherwise, but Bastida was jovial and friendly in dealing with people. Additionally, he practiced his hobbies until the last moment.
*1951-1953: This year he was part of the jury of the contest to reform
San Mames Stadium, of
Athletic Club de Bilbao. In 1952, Bastida began remodeling the central headquarters of "Banco de Bilbao " on
Gran Vía. In the summer of 1953 he received reports from
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
about the poor health of his friend Prieto and decided to visit him. On the plane he fell ill and went to the airport in bad condition, so he suspended all scheduled. Prieto, concerned about the health of Bastida, looked after him at home . A few days later, the architect was strengthened and quickly returned to Bilbao. When he returned, he underwent surgery, but died shortly at : 15 October 1953 (Bastida was 74 years ). Prieto wrote in memory of architect an article called "Mi más querido amigo". These are some sentences of the article: " Mr. Bastida is one of the most distinguished Spanish architects and certainly one of the best men I have ever known ." And include the simplicity and humility of the architect, which was manifested in the plea he made before he died at his family: he asked to write in his obituary simply "Ricardo Bastida, Diocesan Architect", without adding even "Mr." or title of "Most illustrious" which he possessed by the positions that he had occupied.
Works
![Edificio del Banco de Bilbao](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Edificio_del_Banco_de_Bilbao.jpg)
*
Alhóndiga, Bilbao, 1909
* "Casa Cuna", 1914
* Municipal Center of Disinfections, 1916
* "
Casa Lezama-Leguizamon", Bilbao, 1921
* "Banco de Bilbao", nº 16 of
calle de Alcalá
Calle de Alcalá is among the longest streets in Madrid. It starts at the Puerta del Sol and goes on for , to the northeastern outskirts of the city. Henry David Inglis described it in 1837 as "long, of superb width, and flanked by a splendid rang ...
in Madrid, 1923
* Blueprint of the junction between Bilbao and its surrounding villages, 1923
* The entry plan to Bilbao from Begoña, 1925
See also
*
Modernism in the architecture of Bilbao
*http://www.alhondigabilbao.com/
*http://www.euskomedia.org/aunamendi/12002
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bastida, Ricardo
20th-century Spanish architects
1879 births
1953 deaths
Architects from the Basque Country (autonomous community)
People from Bilbao