Architectural Highlights of Spain - Part 2

 

More sites from the north of Spain

Today I thought I would share some details from a few other cities that are also located in the north of Spain. While overlooked by the typical tourist, they each have buildings that are worth visiting if one enjoys good architecture. Especially nice is that for a traveler like myself who relies on public transportation, these are all easily accessible by bus or train.  

A Coruña 

I have been to A Coruña several times now and always enjoy my visits to this UNESCO world heritage site. One of the defining features of many of the homes are the enclosed glazed balconies, a way to handle the sometimes difficult weather. But the notable new piece of architecture is the Domus, an interactive science museum. The nearby northern end of the city is a large park area surrounded on three sides by water and features the Tower of Hercules, the only operating Roman era lighthouse.

Domus

Arata Isozaki, 1995

R. Ángel Rebollo, 91, 15002 A Coruña, Spain

https://www.coruna.gal/mc2/es/domus

Tower of Hercules

unknown, 1st or 2nd Century

Av. Navarra, s/n, 15002 A Coruña, Spain

http://www.torredeherculesacoruna.com/

Comillas

A bit off the beaten path for more people, Comillas is a lovely sea-side town that is best known for one of the few Gaudi sites outside of Catalunya. El Capricho is sometimes known as the "Sunflower House" due to the sunflower design ceramic tiles on the exterior of the home. Somewhat smaller than most of Gaudi's buildings, it has now been totally restored.

The Sobrellano Palace and Chapel which serves as the family pantheon was built for the Marquess of Comillas who made his fortune in trading with Cuba. Both are done in Neo-Gothic style and sit on a hilltop overlooking the city sit next door to El Capricho.

I reached Comillas easily by bus from Santander and the ride out was pretty. I made the trip in earlt October and was surprised at the number of pilgrims I encountered on the Camino Norte.

El Capricho de Gaudi

Antonio Gaudi 1883-1885

Barrio Sobrellano, s/n, 39520 Comillas, Cantabria, Spain

http://www.elcaprichodegaudi.com/

Sobrellano Palace and Chapel

Unknown, C. 1882

 Barrio Sobrellano, s/n, 39520 Comillas, Cantabria, Spain

https://centros.culturadecantabria.com/sobrellano-palace/

Santander

Santander was added to my itinerary as a place to switch from the train to the bus for my journey to Comillas, but I had a couple of evenings to enjoy the city. Built on a bay, Santander is a good sized city with lots to offer. The waterfront has been largely transformed from working docks to parks and public amenities. The Cathedral was built over the 13th Century Christ Church (photo below) and dates to the 14th and 15th centuries, though significant modifications have been made.

My favorite place was the Centro Botin, a combined Museum and Cultural center that sits  on the waterfront and the design make great use of the setting. with the end of the buildings projecting out over the water.  On exhibit while I was there was an excellent retrospective on Alexander Calder. The nearby Palacete del Embarcadero is a former passenger terminal now converted into a jewel box like museum.

 Cathedral de Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion

Unknown, begun 13th Century

Calle Somorrostro, s/n, 39002 Santander, Cantabria, Spain

Centro Botin

Renzo Piano, 2017

Muelle de Albareda, Paseo de Pereda, s / n, 39004 Santander, Cantabria, Spain

https://www.centrobotin.org/

Palacete del Embarcadero

Javier Gonzalez de Riancho, 1920

Lugar, Calle Muelle de Calderón, 0 S N, 39003 Santander, Cantabria, Spain

https://www.puertosantander.es/cas/palacete.aspx?tipo=MedioComunicacion&modo=lista

Architectural Tour of Spain - Part 1

Over the weekend I was in a discussion about where in Spain I would recommend for good architecture. I started to make up a list, but then decided it would be nice to put together a map with some of the places I think are worth a visit. Along with the map, I thought it only fair to provide some descriptions of these places to inspire you to check them out for yourself. Today, I have written up descriptions for three of the cities, Astorga, Aviles and Bilbao, all located in the north of the country. 

You can access the map, which no doubt will get some additions at:

Architectural Highlights of Spain

Astorga 

A bit out of the way unless you happen to be hiking the Camino de Santiago which of course is how I found this grand residence. Built as a commission from the bishop to serve as his residence, the bishop died before it was completed. In addition to this museum, I also remember visiting a chocolate museum and one within the church. 

Episcopal Palace

Antonio Gaudi, 1889-1913

Plaza Eduardo de Castro, 15, 24700 Astorga, León, Spain

https://www.palaciodegaudi.es/en/

Aviles

While traveling to Brazil I became a big fan of Oscar Niemeyer So I hope one day to get to Aviles to see this complex. It reminds me of his Teatro Popular in Niteroi, Brazil.

Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Center

Oscar Niemeyer, 2008

Av. del Zinc, s/n, 33490 Avilés, Asturias, Spain

https://www.centroniemeyer.es/

Bilbao

Once a great industrial city in the north of Spain, it had begun to fade when it suddenly was propelled onto the world stage with the creation of the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum, It was the first of the Spanish cities to embark on an ambitious, architect centered revitalization. The Guggenheim is a wonderous creation of curling titanium on the banks of the river that would not have been possible without the advent of computers. The only flat surface is the floor, the rest of the structure wraps around you. With a 120,000 square feet of exhibition space, it takes awhile to get through the museum. My particular favorite is Puppy, a Jeff Koons sculpture that greets you out front. It is a 12.4 meter tall "chia pet" of a puppy planted in flowers.

The Guggenheim Museum is certainly enough reason to head to Bilbao, but it would be a shame to miss some of the other architectural sites scattered around the city. A walk along the river by the museum will take you past bridges that are a delight to the eye and give you a chance to cross over for your photos of the museum. The Azkuna Zentroa is a renovated Corn Exchange building and houses a multiplex cinema, shops, a museum restaurants and other things. The Vizcaya Bridge is worth a trip to check out the operations. The bridge uses two gondolas hanging from the structure to transport road traffic across the river. The health department is worth a visit for the great modern architecture. The same could be said for the airport. My first visit there was a bus trip both directions just to see the architecture.

Azkuna Zentroa

Philippe Starck w/ Thibaut Mathieu 2010

Arriquíbar Plaza, 4, 48010 Bilbo, Bizkaia, Spain

https://www.azkunazentroa.eus/az/ingl/home

Basque Heath Department Headquarters

Juan Coll-Barreu

Alameda de Recalde, 39, 48008 Bilbao, Biscay, Spain

Bilbao Airport

Santiago Calatrava, 2000

48180 Loiu, Biscay, Spain

Guggenheim Museum

Frank Gehry, 1997

Abandoibarra Etorb., 2, 48009 Bilbo, Bizkaia, Spain

https://www.guggenheim-bilbao.eus/en

Vizcaya Bridge

Alberto Palacio, 1893

Puente de Vizcaya Zubia, Getxo, Bizkaia, Spain

If you are interested in more information on the new architecture in Bilbao, they have developed a good website that has some very good information.

https://www.bilbaoturismo.net/BilbaoTurismo/en/nueva-arquitectura

The Wolfsonian - FIU Miami Beach, FL

     Over the years I've enjoyed many visits to the Wolfsonian since it is very close to the home of the friends that I stay with in South Beach. I originally had walked past it a few times as it doesn't have a fancy new building, instead it is located in a converted storage building. But after my first visit I was hooked. The permanent collection is very good and I have seen some great temporary exhibitions here.

    As a bit of background, the museum was started with the personal collection of Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. who was and continues to be an avid collector with varied interests. I just read a short interview he did and at 80 years old he has collected and donated over 155,000 pieces to his museums. Even if he started buying on the day he was born, it still works out to more than 5 items a day. The reason the museum is in a storage building is that he bought it once he was already renting 90% of the space to store his collection.

    The intent of the collection is to illustrate the persuasive power of art and design. This is accomplished with a collection that includes furniture , industrial-design objects, Glass, ceramics, metal, rare books, textiles, works on paper, paintings and more. If you like the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Nouveau, war time propaganda, tourist posters, or architectural drawings, you will certainly find something of interest.

Wrestler, 1929, Dudley Vaill Talcott, designer. 

For the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics

    My visit this week was a bit different due to the restrictions in place due to the Coronavirus. It began with a large room for an exhibit titled The New Deal: Art Relief. On exhibit are various posters and paining that were produced by the Federal Art Project (FAP), a network or art centers set up across the country  during the Great Depression funded from Washington, but administered locally. Vice President Harry Hopkins made sure that artists were included in the relief efforts  saying, "hell, they've got to eat just like other people." Very relevant today as I heard people complaining that the Kennedy Centerand other arts organizations were allotted Covid relief funds.

The Next exhibit was Art For Justice, a small exhibition on racial justice focused on the Scottsboro Nine, black teenagers falsely accused of rape in 1931, and all but the youngest sentenced to death. The display included a collection of Linoleum Cut prints; issues of the Labor Defender magazine, a a publication of the Communist Party that organized the boy's defense; and a few other items.

Portfolio Plate, Stake in the Commonwealth. from Comrade Gulliver; An Illustrated Account of Travel into that Strange Country, the United States of America, 1936, 

Hugo Gellert (American, b. Hungary, 1892 -1985).  

This bitterly ironic illustration implies that being burned at the stake in a lynching is the only "stake" in America that Black people could expect.

     Walking on there were some rescued architectural elements including a permanent installation of a window grille created in 1929 for the Norris Theater in Norristown, PA. It is a great piece of Art Deco architecture saved from the wrecking ball. 

Window Grille, 1929, From the Norris Theater, Norristown, PA. 

Walter Harold Lee (American, 1884-1971 and Armand Carroll (American, 1898-1971) Architects

Glazed terra cotta tile.

Finally, on the way out there was a large collection entitled, "You, Me, We, Us, Solidarity in AIDS Graphic Design with a number of posters from around the world. Again, another timely display as we are in the midst of another pandemic.

Shared Rights, Shared Responsibilities, c. 1996. Moving Images, South Africa, Publisher

Rafiki yangu mwenye UKIMWI bado ni rafiki yangua (my Friend with AIDS is Still my Friend, 1994. 
Marco Simon Tibasima (Tanzanian), designer. 
Kuleana Center for Sexual Health, Mwanza, Tanzania, publisher.

On this visit, museum traffic was tightly controlled in a one way path that conveniently led to an exit through the giftshop. This museum gift shop is quite good with a selection of gifts and books including a great children's section. Even here, the founder's penchant for collecting is evident as the library shelving was reclaimed from the ASPCA Building in New York City.

Helpful Info:

Check the website https://wolfsonian.org for more information.
Weekday visitors can find on-street free parking west of Washington, Ave.
If you are looking for a bite to eat, Puerto Sagua, nearby at 7th and Collins has been open since 1962 serving authentic affordable Cuban food in a simple, no frills setting.