Introduction
Art Nouveau also found its way to the Canary Islands. Unlike in Barcelona, Brussels and Vienna, it was not treated ideologically here, but simply as a decorative style. Canarian Modernism, in general, did not invent new spatial forms, did not use new constructive technologies and did not aim for the amalgamation of architecture and other art forms. It just borrowed stylistic features of different variants of European Art Nouveau and applied them on the façades of the buildings, often in an Eclectic context.
In Las Palmas, the capital of Gran Canaria, Modernism is chiefly associated with the work of two architects: Laureano Arroyo Velasco and Fernando Navarro Navarro. Arroyo was a Catalan architect who served as the municipal architect of Las Palmas from 1888 until 1910. He designed hundreds of structures in the city, mostly in Eclectic style, although a many of his later works represent Modernism. Navarro was a Gran Canarian architect who succeeded Arroyo in the post of the municipal architect. He authored some of the most recognisable Modernist buildings in Las Palmas.
Most examples of Modernist architecture in Las Palmas can be found in the Triana and Vegueta districts. Calle Mayor de Triana and its side streets provide the largest concentration of structures in that style.
Sites
My portfolio includes 15 outstanding examples of Las Palmas Modernism.
- House of Juan Negrín Cabrera | Calle Mayor de Triana 101, Triana | Laureano Arroyo Velasco or Fernando Navarro Navarro, 1902
- Palace of Juan Rodríguez Quegles | Calle Escritor Benito Pérez Galdós 4, Triana | Mariano Belmás Estrada & Fernando Navarro Navarro, 1900-1901
- House of Ana Sigala Hernández | Calle Herrería 10 & Calle Pelota 18, Vegueta | Laureano Arroyo Velasco, 1899-1903
- Kiosks on Plaza Hurtado de Mendoza | Plaza Hurtado de Mendoza (Plaza de las Ranas), Triana | Fernando Navarro Navarro, 1902
- House of Juan García Déniz | Calle Obispo Codina 5 & Calle Juan de Quesada 1, Vegueta | Fernando Navarro Navarro, 1905
- House of Vicente Lleó Benlliure | Calle Mayor de Triana 65 & Calle Arena 2, Triana | Laureano Arroyo Velasco & Fernando Navarro Navarro, 1905
- House of Rafael González Hernández | Calle Dr. Rafael González 18-20 & Calle Torres 19, Triana | Mariano Estanga Arias-Girón, 1906-1907
- House of Manuel Apolinario | Calle Mayor de Triana 76 & Calle Munguía 1, Triana | Fernando Navarro Navarro, 1907-1908
- House of Bonaventura Escudé Martí | Calle Mayor de Triana 78, Triana | Laureano Arroyo Velasco, 1907-1908
- House of Agustín Melián Falcón | Calle Mayor de Triana 80, Triana | Laureano Arroyo Velasco, 1908
- House of Juan Negrín Cabrera | Calle Mayor de Triana 82, Triana | Fernando Navarro Navarro, 1907-1908
- House of Antonio Sánchez Rodríguez | Calle Mayor de Triana 98, Triana | Fernando Navarro Navarro, 1908
- House of the Manrique de Lara sisters | Plaza Mayor de Santa Ana 5, Vegueta | Fernando Navarro Navarro, 1915
- Literary Cabinet | Plaza de Cairasco 1, Triana | Fernando Navarro Navarro & Rafael Massanet Faus, 1919-1920
- Kiosk in San Telmo Park | Parque de San Telmo, Triana | Rafael Massanet Faus, 1923
Some notable buildings are missing:
- House of Sebastián Suárez Tascón | Calle Constantino 13 | Laureano Arroyo Velasco, 1909
- House of Juan Bosch Sintes | Calle Travieso 18 & Calle Cano 29 | Pelayo López Martín-Romero, 1916-1918
- House of Rafaela Rodríguez Quegles | Calle Malteses 20 & Calle Dr. Rafael González 3 | Pelayo López Martín-Romero, 1916-1920
Map
See the mentioned sites on the map.
Portfolio
Photos
Taken in April 2022