Calle La Condamine
The Casa de la Lira is a beautifully restored house on La Condamine Street in the El Vado neighborhood. It possesses elements of both the Colonial and Republican Eras. It is famous for the elegant green glass brick façade, with a very noticeable Lira (Lyre) on the balustrade of the rooftop.
The original house was purchased in 1878 by Rosa Rodriquez. In 1894 Luis Paute Rodriquez bought the house, and in 1935 built the facade that is there now, with the Lira.
The Lira was symbolic of the music and poetry and theatre of the epoch, in support of writers, musicians and artists. There are several houses in Cuenca that display a lira on their façade or somewhere inside, but none of them is as impressive or visible as this one.
The Lira was symbolic of the music and poetry and theatre of the era. Luis Paute constructed a stage for poetry and theatre. Inside this house, a kind of conservatory was established in which piano and other instruments were taught. It also had a concert hall where opera pieces, zarzuelas, classical and popular music concerts were performed.
A photo of the “Lyra” on top of the roof, being restored in 2016.
The most recent renovation was from 2016-2019. There are now large open spaces on both the lower and upper floor. The hopes are to have music performances, and spaces for other performing arts, after covid restrictions have ended. This is in memoriam of the music and concerts that filled this building long ago.
In 1978 there was a huge fire in the building. Only the very front of the building remained intact. Wherever possible, those elements have been restored.
During the restoration of the building, several ancient city water canals were uncovered underneath the flooring. These have been carefully restored, and can be seen flowing under the first level of the house.
During the restoration, these colonial era pots were uncovered. They were left in their original state.
The balconies in the front upper level have a wonderful view over the Tomebomba River.
There are tile and river pebble floors in the front hallway. This original restored wallpaper is a juxtaposition to the modern office space. The balconies overlook La Condamine Street, and the Cruz del Vado, one of seven crosses from Colonial Days which delineated the boundaries of the city of Cuenca.
Started by Ecuadorian poet Remigio Crespo Toral, in association with Alfonso Moreno Mora in 1919, the Lira Festival was established in the city at that time, attracting poets and lovers of poetry to a country gathering held annually on the last Saturday in May. The poets would talk about their compositions and award a prize for the best poem. The winner would be gain the temporary name of “vate” (bard, poet) and would be given a laurel crown. The first festivity took place at the Buen Vecino country estate, owned by Remigio Crespo Toral,in May 1919.
Originally, the Lira Festival was an annual literary event, held in Cuenca between 1919 and 1950, in which poets were awarded for their works. The Festival was re-invigorated in 2011, and was held every two years in November, in Cuenca. The festival is four days of meetings with poets from Ecuador, Mexico, and the South American continent, and there is an award of $30,00 and $5,000 to two selected authors, whose poems have been submitted to the competition. The last festival was held in 2019, which was the 100 year celebration of the inception of the festival.
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