12-40 Simon Bolivar
This house with the golden facade was completed in 1917, but it’s construction took more than 20 years. Since then, it has been the home of the lawyer Aurelio Aguilar Vásquez; headquarters of the Municipal Union, and is now the Multiple Center, providing medical assistance to Municipal employees. It was restored by the City of Cuenca in 2017.
The restoration was done in two phases. Phase One was the restoration of the old house. Phase Two was the construction of a modern three story building in the rear where there used to be an orchard for the house. That part is now used for the medical facilities.
Photo taken from the second floor looking down. There is a large space in the lobby which is made of “pisos de huesos”. Floors of bones. There were 1,600 pieces of bone in the original, many of which needed to be replaced.
Restored wallpaper of French origin.
Many of the walls had been painted white. Surveys were made, and old photos were used to discover the murals. Twelve murals were recovered.
View from the balcony of Calle Simon Bolivar, and Santo Cenaculo.
The outer façade is made of brick, and the internal walls are made of adobe, brick, and bahareque.
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