The Montemar Institute of Marine Biology ( es, Estación de Biología Marina de Montemar) is a

modern Modern may refer to: History * Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Phil ...

building in Viña del Mar,

Valparaíso Region The Valparaíso Region ( es, Región de Valparaíso, links=no, ) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions.Valparaíso Region, 2006 With the country's second-highest population of 1,790,219 , and fourth-smallest area of , ...

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 Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. Built between 1941 and 1959, it is considered the most important work of Chilean architect Enrique Gebhard and one of the most representative examples of modern architecture in Chile. The building was added to the 2008 World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites, published by the

World Monuments Fund World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and trainin ...

, with the cited reason that its architectural value is being threatened by additions made to the building.

History

On August 28, 1941 the rector of the

University of Chile The University of Chile ( es, Universidad de Chile) is a public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

decreed the foundation of the Institute and professor Parmenio Yáñez as its first director. The building's design and construction was done taking into consideration the presence of local fishermen in order to preserve the area's previous use, and to establish a working collaboration between the fishermen and the scientific research done at the station. After the founding of the Universidad de Valparaíso, the Institute's building became home to that university's Faculty of Ocean Sciences.

References

External links

World Monuments Watch: Montemar Institute of Marine Biology
{{coord missing, Chile School buildings completed in 1959 Buildings and structures in Valparaíso Region Modernist architecture