View source for Casa Central de la Universidad de Chile

{{Short description|Main building of the University of Chile}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Casa Central de la Universidad de Chile
| image = Casa Central de la Universidad de Chile.jpg
| location_town = Santiago
| location_country = Chile
| architect = [[Lucien Hénault]] <small>(1857–1863)</small><br>[[Fermín Vivaceta]] <small>(1863–1872)</small>
}}
The '''Casa Central de la Universidad de Chile''', also known as ''Palacio de la Universidad de Chile'', is the main building for the [[University of Chile|Universidad de Chile]], and is located at 1058 [[Alameda (Santiago)|Alameda Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins]], in [[Santiago (commune)|Santiago]], [[Chile]]. The building dates from 1872, and currently houses the [[Rector (academia)|rectorate]], rooms used for ceremonial events and the university's  [[Andrés Bello]] Archives. It was declared a [[List of National Monuments of Chile|National Monument]] of Chile in 1974.
== History ==
[[File:U_de_Chile_1872.jpg|left|thumb|Casa Central in 1872.]]
[[File:Masacre_seguro_obrero_tropas_Tacna_U_de_Chile.jpg|left|thumb|Soldiers facing the Casa Central de la Universidad in 1938.]]
After its inauguration in 1843, the [[University of Chile|Universidad de Chile]] was in need of housing. The then [[Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (Chile)|Minister of Justice]], [[Manuel Montt]], selected a site to build the ''Palacio de la Universidad'', which was adjacent to the since-demolished [[:es:Iglesia_de_San_Diego_(Santiago_de_Chile)|San Diego Church]] on the ''[[Alameda (Santiago)|Alameda de Las Delicias]]''.
The university originally occupied an annex of the [[Instituto Nacional General José Miguel Carrera|Instituto Nacional]], which was designed by architect Juan Herbage. Subsequently, it was decided that the university would have its own building with a main entrance facing the ''Alameda''. The building was designed by Lucien Hénault.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}
The building was built between 1863 and 1872 by Fermín Vivaceta, who was one of the first architects born and educated in Chile. It is considered to be the first multi-story building built on the Alameda as well as the third construction to be funded by government money in the country.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|author-link=|date=|title=Curiosidades de la Casa Central de la Universidad de Chile - Universidad de Chile|url=http://uchile.cl/u132049|access-date=5 April 2017|website=uchile.cl|publisher=|language=es}}</ref>
[[File:U._de_Chile,_casa_de_Bello.JPG|thumb|A statue of [[Andrés Bello]] in front of the Casa Central de la Universidad de Chile]]
In 1912, the Faculty of Law and Political Science (now just the Faculty of Law) needed more room. To meet this need, it was proposed to add a third floor to the building, but the project was withdrawn, and it was decided in 1927 to accommodate the University of Chile Law School in the east wing of the Casa Central. In 1938, it was relocated to its current location on Pio Nono street.
In 1928, the building housing the library of the university was demolished by order of the then provisional [[Ministry of Education (Chile)|Minister of Education]], Pablo Ramírez. The library (today the Central Archives Andrés Bello) was reorganized in 1936 by the then Rector Juvenal Hernández, funded through donations by various professors, including [[Amanda Labarca]] and [[Pablo Neruda]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Donación de Pablo Neruda a la Universidad de Chile - Universidad de Chile|url=http://uchile.cl/u83370|access-date=12 April 2017|website=uchile.cl|language=Spanish}}</ref>
On September 5, 1938, the Casa Central was seized by members of the [[National Socialist Movement of Chile]], with the rector Juvenal Hernández Jaque being held hostage. President [[Arturo Alessandri]] gave the order, and two rounds of artillery were fired against the main entrance of the building, killing four people. This event formed part of the massacre known as "[[Seguro Obrero massacre|Matanza del Seguro Obrero]]".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Araya|first=Alejandra|url=http://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/142485|title=Una casa abierta para Chile. Historia visual de la Casa Central de la Universidad de Chile|publisher=|year=2016|isbn=9789561909861|editor-last=|location=|pages=76–77|language=|chapter=Parte II: La república peregrina|author-link=|access-date=12 April 2017}}</ref>
A clock by the firm Clemens Riefler of [[Munich]] was installed on the facade in 1929.<ref>{{Cite book|last=|first=|url=http://anales.uchile.cl/index.php/ANUC/article/viewFile/25235/26572|title=Revista Anales de la Universidad de Chile|publisher=|year=1929|isbn=|editor-last=|location=|page=5|language=|chapter=Notas universitarias|author-link=|access-date=12 April 2017}}</ref>
The building was declared a Historic Monument in 1974.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Casa Central, el estandarte de la Universidad de todos los chilenos y chilenas - Universidad de Chile|url=http://uchile.cl/u85914|access-date=5 April 2017|website=uchile.cl|language=Spanish}}</ref>
On March 31, 1977 the adjacent [[Universidad de Chile metro station]] was opened, named after the building.
On March 27, 2001 a new [[mural]] by [[Mario Toral]] was installed in the Salón de Honor.
The building underwent structural damage after the [[1985 Algarrobo earthquake]], which was aggravated by the [[2010 Chile earthquake]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Daños en Casa Central - Universidad de Chile|url=http://uchile.cl/u59113|access-date=5 April 2017|website=uchile.cl|language=Spanish}}</ref> The Casa Central was initially closed for a year, leaving open only the rector office, while the rest of the employees were relocated to the Torre 15 de San Borja.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Universidad de Chile|date=8 March 2010|title=Daños de Casa Central en la prensa|url=http://www.uchile.cl/uchile.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=not&url=59176|url-status=live|access-date=9 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312122035/http://www.uchile.cl:80/uchile.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=not&url=59176 |archive-date=2010-03-12 }}</ref>
The renovations were completed in April 2015 for the cost of approximately [[Chilean peso|$]]1,700 millions, which included the refurbishment of rooms to house the Senado Universitario, and exhibitions on the first floor.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Said|first=Carlos|date=24 April 2015|title=Universidad de Chile retorna a su casa central|agency=[[El Mercurio]]|url=http://diario.elmercurio.com/2015/04/24/nacional/nacional/noticias/A3DF68BF-1F0C-4889-9070-2C5CD392106F.htm?id={A3DF68BF-1F0C-4889-9070-2C5CD392106F}|access-date=24 April 2015}}</ref>
== Description ==
[[File:Salon_honor_U_Chile.jpg|thumb|199x199px|Salón de Honor.]]
[[File:BelloUChile.JPG|thumb|184x184px|Statue of Andrés Bello on the namesake Patio.]]
Built in the [[Neoclassical architecture|Neo-classical style]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Casa Central - Universidad de Chile|url=http://uchile.cl/u5032|access-date=5 April 2017|website=uchile.cl|language=Spanish}}</ref> the Casa Central de la Universidad de Chile is an architecturally simple building, which is attested by its scarce decoration and the prevalence of straight lines.
Two stairs from the [[Vestibule (architecture)|vestibule]] lead to the second floor. At the center of the building is the Salón de Honor, a three-level auditorium whose [[Doric order|Doric columns]] support the galleries. The palace features two [[patio]]s located to the east and to the west of the Salón de Honor, respectively named "[[Ignacy Domeyko|Ignacio Domeyko]]" and "[[Andrés Bello]]", each containing a statue of the man for which the corresponding patio is named.
An iconic room of the Palacio was the Salón de Honor, which originally contained a large canvas painting by Ernesto Courtois Bonnencontre named ''La Alegoría de las Ciencias, las Artes y las Letras''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Araya |first=Alejandra |author-link= |url=http://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/142485 |title=Una casa abierta para Chile. Historia visual de la Casa Central de la Universidad de Chile |publisher=Ediciones Archivo Central Andrés Bello |year=2016 |isbn=9789561909861 |editor-last= |location=Santiago |page=176 |language= |chapter=Ficha de información general Casa Central de la Universidad de Chile |access-date=5 April 2017}}</ref> It was destroyed during the student protests in the late [[1920s]].
=== Statue of Andrés Bello ===
The [[Carrara marble]] statue was created in 1881 by Nicanor Plaza to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Andrés Bello,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Francisco Vargas Avilés|author-link=|date=19 November 2012|title=Bello y su estatua|url=http://www.temas.cl/2012/11/19/bello-y-su-estatua/|access-date=12 April 2017|website=Temas & noticias|publisher=|language=}}</ref> which was proposed by [[José Victorino Lastarria]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Araya|first=Alejandra|url=http://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/142485|title=Una casa abierta para Chile. Historia visual de la Casa Central de la Universidad de Chile|publisher=Ediciones Archivo Central Andrés Bello|year=2016|isbn=9789561909861|editor-last=|location=|page=75|language=|chapter=Parte II: La República Peregrina|author-link=|access-date=12 April 2017}}</ref>
The statue was originally installed at the [[Former National Congress Building|National Congress Building]]'s main entrance facing Catedral Street in Santiago. In 1884 was relocated in front of the Palacio del Real Tribunal del Consulado de Santiago and then moved again in 1931 to the [[median strip]] of the Alameda, before being relocated to the western patio of the Casa Central in 1974, which was officially named as "'''Patio Andrés Bello'''".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Araya|first=Alejandra|url=http://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/142485|title=Una casa abierta para Chile. Historia visual de la Casa Central de la Universidad de Chile|publisher=Ediciones Archivo Central Andrés Bello|year=2016|isbn=9789561909861|editor-last=|location=Santiago de Chile|page=12|language=|chapter=Introducción|author-link=|access-date=12 April 2017}}</ref>
In front of the Casa Central, on the south sidewalk of the Alameda Bernardo O'Higgins, there is a replica by [[Samuel Román Rojas|Samuel Román]] of that statue.<ref name=":0" />
== Rooms ==
* Rectoría
* Consejo Universitario
* Prorrectoría
* Archivo Central "[[Andrés Bello]]"
* Archivo y Laboratorio Fotográfico
* Administración Casa Central
* Librería Universitaria
* Salón de Honor
* Sala "[[Ignacy Domeyko|Ignacio Domeyko]]"
* Sala "Enrique Sazié"
* Sala "[[Eloísa Díaz]]"
* Sala Museo "[[Gabriela Mistral]]" <ref>{{Cite web|title=A 70 años del Premio Nobel: U. de Chile inauguró Sala Museo en homenaje a Gabriela Mistral - Universidad de Chile|url=http://uchile.cl/u117795|access-date=5 April 2017|website=uchile.cl|language=es}}</ref>
* Patio "Andrés Bello"
* Patio "Domeyko"
* Colección de Caracolas de [[Pablo Neruda]]
== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{coord|-33.4445|-70.6510|type:edu_region:CL|display=title}}
[[Category:1872 in Chile]]
[[Category:Neoclassical architecture in Chile]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Santiago, Chile]]
[[Category:University of Chile]]