Houses and Park Prochelle (Chile)

Houses and Prochelle Park . Old heritage buildings located on the island of Teja. These houses were built at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century , in the context of the German colonization in the city of Valdivia . Declared National Monument of Chile in 1985 .

Summary

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  • 1 Location
  • 2 History
  • 3 Arquitectura
  • 4Centro cultural
  • 5 National Monument
  • 6 See also
  • 7 Image Gallery
  • 8 Fountains

Location

Located at Los Robles Avenue No. 4, Isla Teja, Valdivia commune , Los Ríos region , Chile.

History

In 1845 , the government of Manuel Bulnes set himself the challenge of integrating and economically exploiting the area between the current cities of Valdivia and Puerto Montt . With this objective, the Colonization Law was promulgated, which sought to attract foreign immigrants to populate said territory.

Starting in 1850 , German families began to settle on the shores of Lake Llanquihue and in the city of Valdivia, transforming the natural and cultural environment by incorporating their traditions that gave the region a great boost in the economic, agricultural, industrial and commercial.

The land where the Prochelle mansion is located initially belonged to the German Hermann Schülke, a pioneer of tanneries in Valdivia.

The Prochelle I house is one of the oldest buildings in the City of Valdivia. In 1902 , it was designed and built by Gustavo Prochelle Brummer, a German immigrant and important Valdivian businessman who had a tannery, salt refinery, lumber industry, steamship agency and insurance. Next to this a garden was created , designed by the same Prochelle family. Bordering the river was then a wooden promenade, as well as warehouses and the gardener’s house. Also next to the building and the garden, a park was built with native and exotic species.

The second house, known as Casa Prochelle II and smaller than the previous one, was built in 1924 by Oscar Prochelle, son of Gustavo Prochelle, on the land next to the first house. The work was directed by the architect Otto Ottinger.

In 1953 , the Prochelle park was separated from the houses, due to the construction of the Pedro de Valdivia bridge that connects Isla Teja with Valdivia. Since then, the Park has come to depend on the Municipality of Valdivia and has opened its access to visitors.

In 1994 , La Casa Prochelle I was sold to private parties and in 2008 it was acquired by the Municipality of Valdivia. The building was incorporated into the Cultural Network of the National Council for Culture and the Arts and in 2012 its restoration and remodeling began to turn it into a cultural center, intended for the diffusion and artistic creation of the area.

Casa Prochelle II, meanwhile, was restored by the Valdicor company and is currently owned by the Rivers Regional Council.

Architecture

In the Prochelle I house, native oak , laurel , larch and lingue wood was used for its construction, on a one-meter-high concrete and flagstone base. It is located on an area of ​​2,294 m².

On its main façade it has a tympanum where a letter “P” appears, the initial of the Prochelle family, its original owners. The house has two floors, the first was made up of bedrooms, bathroom, living room, dining room and kitchen , while the second had two rooms for guests, bathroom , gym , pantry and a drying room for clothes. In addition, the house has an attached pavilion that was used as a room for employees. Next to the house a garden designed with native and foreign species was built, with a wooden promenade that bordered the river .

The house originally covered 730 m² of floor space, including its two levels. The 2012 renovations covered a total of 792.31 m² of the total area of ​​the site, which included 98.53 m² of demolition or dismantling and an expansion of an additional 115.76 m².

Cultural center

The cultural center of Casa Prochelle I houses exhibition halls, storage, information, cloakroom, archive, kitchen and bathrooms on its first level, while the second level is used for the administrative offices of the Cultural Corporation of the Municipality of Valdivia. It also has parking lots.

It currently houses the Valdivia Dance School, event rooms and outdoor exhibitions.

National Monument

The two houses next to Parque Prochelle were declared a National Monument of Chile in the category of Historical Monument, through Supreme Decree No. 918 of November 21, 1985 , for their architectural and historical value, reflecting the influence of the German colony in Valdivia. . Its limits are set by Decree No. 806 of August 4 , 1998 .