The charm of the century-old mansion that occupies the corner of Hernández Amores and Oliver streets, in the shadow of the Cathedral tower, vanishes through the cracks opened by abandonment. Uninhabited for years, the alarms went off at the beginning of April when, in the middle of the rainy season, a collapse affected the roof. The brigades of a demolition and shoring company are facing these days the final stretch of the works commissioned urgently by the City Council to prevent the house from collapsing, but, without a rehabilitation project in sight, the unique building seems doomed .
The municipal inventory grants the building, dating from the first decades of the 20th century, a protection that requires maintaining its general structure, including the façade. This cataloging is reinforced by being in the surroundings of the Cathedral, in the noblest heart of the city. Its location and its architectural value, however, have not prevented its decline. And although his case is not unique, it does show the degradation that threatens the historic center, according to conservationist groups.
To try to support the structure and prevent further collapse, the workers have placed dozens of props, which go from the floor to the ceiling, distributed throughout all the rooms. A stabilizer has also been deployed – in the form of a metal strap – in order to prevent the façade from continuing to give way and ending up on the ground.
The mansion, owned by the Sanz de Quesada and Gil Sanz families, housed a hardware store on the ground floor and a family residence on the upper floors. The photographs taken by the urban explorer Carlos Chembos, who has been able to access the interior to document the building, show a prosperous past, far from the desolation that is spreading now. Thus, the lobby welcomes with a small altar that houses an image of the Virgen de la Fuensanta made in tile. On the ground floor, a large piece of furniture with drawers and shelves that were used to store and keep the store’s items in order remains in apparent good condition. A staircase, made in the Catalan style, gives access to the rooms. Some of the furniture is still there, such as a safe and a piano, as well as sideboards and desks. A magnificent wooden gallery that overlooks the interior patio runs along the first floor.
Although the catalog card dates the mansion between 1900 and 1936, the art historian and restorer Loreto López believes that the mansion could be earlier and that it would have undergone reforms. In a search through the newspaper library, the expert locates an advertisement from 1897 that places Vicente Viguer’s cabinetmaking workshop, also dedicated to repairing sewing machines, on the ground floor of the building. «The decorations, despite being simple, correspond to the modernist era, as shown by the carvings on the doors, the wallpaper and the painted stencils. It would be a shame if they were lost », she laments. From the City Council they explain that the works in progress are only intended to avoid further collapses. So the future of the unique building is still up in the air.
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