The Gran Hotel Bolívar is a historic building and three-star

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

located next to San Martín Square in the historic centre of

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. Part of a program to modernise the city, it was designed by noted Peruvian architect Rafael Marquina y Bueno and built in state property in 1924 to be the first large, modern hotel built in Lima, and with the specific intent of hosting foreign delegations for the 1924 centennial celebrations of the 1824

Battle of Ayacucho The Battle of Ayacucho (, ) was a decisive military encounter during the Peruvian War of Independence. This battle secured the independence of Peru and ensured independence for the rest of belligerent South American states. In Peru it is conside ...

, a decisive military encounter during the

Peruvian War of Independence The Peruvian War of Independence () was a series of military conflicts in Peru from 1809 to 1826 that resulted in the country's independence from the Spanish Empire. Part of the broader Spanish American wars of independence, it led to the dis ...

. While the square itself was inaugurated on July 27, 1921, the three-storey hotel was inaugurated on December 6, 1924, by then president Augusto B. Leguía. At the time of the 1921 centennial, it was instead the site of an industry fair. It was renovated in 1938, now standing at five floors. In the 1940s and 1950s, the hotel attracted

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

movie stars such as

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' att ...

, and

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

, where many also discovered the local cocktail, the Pisco Sour.Julia Slater
Peru toasts pisco boom on annual cocktail day
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', February 9, 2010, Accessed June 30, 2010.

History

The site was originally next to a railway station, later the adjacent public square. During the early 20th century, the

municipal government A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

intended to widen the Callejón de Petateros with the intent of building an avenue that would join the Plaza Mayor with a projected public square five blocks to the south. The project also planned the construction of new government buildings in this new space, as well as a theatre in the site of the current hotel. Therefore, the site was expropriated in 1906 by the government for the construction of the National Theatre (). The same happened to the station in 1909, and the terrains were ceded by the government to the municipality in 1912. Disagreements on how to handle these newly acquired spaces started the downfall of the theatre plan in 1913, being ultimately never built. As part of the extensive renovation works that took place for the 1921 centennial celebrations in

, a makeshift building was built on the empty 4,000 m² site to house an industry fair, commonly called the Cardboard Palace () by locals. This building was demolished to make way for the hotel. The hotel's construction was the initiative of brothers Fernando and , who commissioned the U.S. Company ''Fred T. Ley y Cía'', and was designed by noted architect Rafael Marquina y Bueno. The three-storey building was inaugurated by president Augusto B. Leguía on December 6, 1924. In 1938, two more floors were added without altering the design of the hotel. In 1961, Augusto Wiese sold the hotel to oil magnate John W. Mecom for

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

1.8 million. On December 28, 1972, the hotel was declared a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

by the government. A

Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC Corporation, doing business as KFC (an abbreviation of Kentucky Fried Chicken), is an American fast food restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken and chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world's s ...

formerly operated next to the hotel's entrance. In 2016, the (SAT) announced that it would be auctioned off due to the debt owed by Huron Equities, the hotel's administrator. After an agreement was reached with real estate company Arte Express, the auction was called off, as the company assisted the hotel's financial situation through an agreement with its owners.

Gallery

File:Plaza Micheo - Lima - 1898.jpg, The site of the hotel (centre left) prior to renovations Palacio de cartón 01.jpg, The makeshift palace in 1921 KFC en el Gran Hotel Bolivar, Lima, Perú.jpg, The hotel in 2009

History

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

Further reading