Presidente Córdova 10-79

A Guide to Cuenca Architecture #38 PASAJE LEÓN. The León Passage was designed by the León Delgado family in 1930 as a large urban boulevard for commercial activities. Its construction was funded by the Delgado family, which had amassed a fortune through the exportation of Panama hats. It was planned as the first “Shopping Street in Cuenca.” Pasaje León was designed by Carlos Ordóñez Mata, and influenced by French neoclassical design. The entrance is on Presidente Córdova, bordering Plaza San Francisco. The door is an exquisite example of intricate wrought-iron, 26 feet high.

Internally, the spaces are organized around the “passage” and have relatively high ceilings, while the different sections of the building are connected via bridges with Art Nouveau ironwork. All the internal spaces, including the staircases, have polychrome brass ceilings.

The front door overlooks Plaza San Francisco.

Plaza San Francisco vendors.

All of the original floor tiles were restored.

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The building has been used for several purposes. Around 1946 it accommodated railway warehouses, and in the 1950s it was turned into a boarding house for students.
In the 1980s the west side of the building was damaged by fire, resulting in the replacement of ceilings, windows and a staircase.

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French neoclassic design, very popular in Cuenca at the beginning of the 1900’s, which was a time of great prosperity for the city of Cuenca.

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Brass is one of the most attractive elements of the decoration . There are more than 1,968 sq ft of polychrome brass that adorn the ceiling and moldings of the central patio.

Beautiful twenty-six foot high wrought iron door

In 2015 the City of Cuenca executed a complete restoration of the building which at that point had been abandoned for almost a year. Ten property restorers recovered the wooden doors that were over 80 years old and moth-eaten. They were covered with chemicals that will protect them for decades The experts also improved the front door, wrought iron railings and the original tiles of the courtyard. The restoration was completed in 2015 during the administration of Cuenca Mayor Marcelo Cabrera.

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During the restoration, this inscription was found painted on a wooden beam ” Esta casa en 1934 pintó Gabriel G. Guncay.”

Mariscal Sucre and Coronel Talbot

The parish of San Sebastián was founded in 1560, soon after the founding of Cuenca, and the construction of the early adobe-walled church is attributed to the first priests. This small square was named after the church.

The parishes of St Sebastian and St Blas, respectively located then at the west and east ends of the early city, were known as “Indian districts”, indicating the racial and social segregation of the colonial period.

At the time, the square was surrounded by a rough stone wall and was used to hold festivals, the main one of which took place on January 20th, corresponding with the feast day of the district’s patron saint. This festivity was celebrated with traditional dances, and fireworks. The first futbol matches were held in this space, and there are also records of bullfights.

Located on one side of the church is a splendid cruciform fountain with a central spout.

The square is surrounded by important buildings such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Church of St Sebastian, the Larrazábal Gallery, and many delightful restaurants and cafes. It is a lovely place to enjoy a meal, or coffee and dessert, and people-watch.

In 1739 the square was the scene of the tragic death of the French doctor Jean Seniergues, a member of the first French geodesic mission. The expedition’s surgeon, Jean Seniergues, emboldened by a few too many glasses of aguardiente, had the audacity to join his local lover in the very public setting of a bullfight … while she was sitting with her father. The situation escalated rapidly, with weapons drawn, and a crowd of irate locals surrounding Seniergues, jabbing him with pikes and lances while shouting “Kill the French foreigners!” A week later, he died from his wounds.

The square was officially renamed Miguel León after one of the bishops of Cuenca
At one end of the square there is a bronze statue of the poet Miguel Moreno Mora.

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The geometric layout of the square dates to the early 20th century and its design is attributed to Octavio Cordero Palacios. Of distinct Renaissance influence, it is associated with the ornamental gardens created at Versailles by the landscape designer Le Notre.

Former Casa de La Temperancia

Plazoleta de San Sebastian, Sucre 13-89

This building was erected in 1876 under the order of Bishop Miguel León to provide shelter for the alcoholics in the city and province, for their rehabilitation and cure. The design is attributed to the German Redemptorist monk Juan Bautista Stiehle, who worked with the bishop on other projects in the city. The entrance is located at the center of the building – a large rectangular door framed by moulding and a pointed arch.

Its location on the city’s former urban western boundary, in the traditional district of St Sebastian, was strategic for the original use of the building. The mission of the “Temperance House” was to offer the necessary services to enable its patients to overcome the vice of drink.

It contained large rooms serving as collective dormitories and small cells for isolating extreme cases. The city authorities, by means of the councillors’ votes, decided who needed reclusion of this type, and they also decided the fate of the rehabilitated. The building fulfilled this mission until 1896, when vast numbers of inmates managed to escape.

Thereafter the building lay in a state of neglect until 1912, being rented out partially or wholly during the interim period. From 1924 to 1939 it served as one of the wings of Cuenca’s Prison for Men, falling into an advanced state of decay due to neglect by the prison authorities. Almost a complete ruin, it subsequently passed into the hands of the Social Welfare Board, which used the building for works of charity, first as a shelter for the homeless and then as a shelter for the elderly.

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The adobe building with traditional tile roofs, has two large courtyards with gardens.

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It was subsequently taken over by the “Gota de Leche” organization, which provided assistance to impoverished mothers. It finally became a home for orphans and abandoned children, necessitating alterations due to the lack of classroom space. As such, corridors were incorporated into the various spaces, cells were joined together, and the former chapel was turned first into dormitories and then into a games room.

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These days its large halls provide a constant changing showcase of contemporary Latin American artistic trends.

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The trees in the garden (capulis, walnuts, guabos, willows, myrtles), are described in countless inventories drawn up by the various tenants over the years.

A mural on the rear wall of the building, by Diegumberrto.

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This work marked the beginning of the technical and scientifically supported restoration of buildings and ancient monuments in the city, which helped to make Cuenca a UNESCO World Heritge Site.

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Luis Crespo Ordóñez, a famous Cuenca painter, proposed and supported the creation of a Museum of Modern Art. In 1978 both the Central Bank of Ecuador and Cuenca City Council, under the mayor Dr Pedro Córdova, pledged their support to the project. The restoration works were directed by the architect Patricio Muñoz Vega, and on 1 August 1981 the museum opened to the public.

Calle Larga 7-27 y Borrero.

This Museum is a historic restored house which belonged to the famous Ecuadorian poet, Remigio Crespo Toral.(1860-1939) He was a poet/writer; Deputy of the Province of Azuay; Rector of the University of Cuenca; and owner of the newspaper Correo del Azuay.

The majority of the house was likely built between 1910 and 1917. Of note is the exposed brick facade which demonstrated an era of novelty in Cuenca’s architecture at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the first building of its style and status in this area, subsequently giving rise to a handsome group of similar buildings, all in exposed brick.

In 1981 the City of Cuenca Building Institution acquired the house with some of the original furniture; highlighting such styles as Louis XVI, and Victorian, as well as other decorations such as lamps, curtains, art work, and mirrors. In 1987 The Central Bank of Ecuador funded the technical studies for the restoration of the building.

In his first (2005-2009) and second (2015-2019) administration, Cuenca’s Mayor Marcelo Cabrera Palacios, realized the importance of the Historic House. He initiated interventions to restore the architecture, ceilings, wallpaper and mural paintings. Thanks to these renovations, the Museum officially opened as a permanent fixture in Cuenca in 2017.

“In one of the staircases of the gardens of Dr. Crespo Toral” The beautiful gardens still contain mature magnolia and walnut trees. The lovely “Cafe del Museo” overlooks the Tomebomba Riverbanks.

In 1917 Remigio Crespo Toral was crowned as a National Poet.

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In 1919 , together with Alfonso Moreno Mora, Dr. Toral founded the Fiesta de la Lira , a literary contest.

In 1917 the President of Ecuador, Doctor Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno awarded the Golden Crown, a symbol of national tribute to Crespo Toral.

The house was built in several stages and used as its base an old colonial construction inherited by the family in 1886. The ground floor was built first, and then a second floor was added around 1910. The bulding has two totally different facades. The main one is on Calle Larga in the historic center. The back entrance overlooks gardens and the Tomebamba River. The rooms are organized around a handsome staircase, linking the various five levels of the building.

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“The death of Abel”. You can see this painting on the wall of some of the old photographs of the house.

There is a fine collection of jewelry and household items of the times.

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With his wife Elvira, Dr. Toral had nine children. The museum houses a collection of photographs of the Crespo Toral family, and additionally collections of other master photgraphers of the time.

The archives of the History of Cuenca are located in the Remigio Crespo Toral House
Museum including all treaties, agreements, letters etc. about the construction of the city of Cuenca.

Among the museum’s collections are archaeological pieces collected in various areas of the Azuay province.There are approximately 28,000 pieces among which are pieces from ancestral, regional cultures and portraits from the 19th and 20th centuries.
(wearing a mask for coronavirus protection!)

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I love this effect of using transparent screens of old photos in the restored rooms. It gives you the feeling of actually seeing the former residents living in the house.

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The museum houses relics of the travels of Elia Liut, who was the first pilot to land in the city.

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I moved to Cuenca in April 2017. The first weekend I was here there was a festive party for the grand opening of the restoration of the Casa Museo Remigio Crespo Toral. It was a lovely evening that I will always remember! For the opening reception there was a classical music concert in the auditorium, and a jazz band playing in the cafe in back.

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Beautiful young Cuencana women were modeling time period clothing for the opening reception.

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The museum currently has limited hours due to the coronavirus situation, but it is still open to the public, and free of charge.

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