Montevideo - Art Deco Capital of South America

Montevideo is a relatively small capital city, but it has one of the largest collections of art deco and modernist buildings in the world.  These architectural treasures date from a period of social and economic advancement in the 1920's and early 1930's and include many (very many) apartment blocks, cinemas, sports stadia, shops and commercial buildings in almost every corner of the city.

Detail, Palacio Lapido

The adoption of art deco and modernism fits well with wider social developments in Uruguay in the first couple of decades of the 20th century. Church and State  were separated before 1910 and the country declared secular in 1917, whilst access to education was expanded, an eight hour working day and unemployment pay introduced (in 1914!), divorce legalised and the death penalty abolished. Although some of these advances were overturned during and following the Great Depression, Uruguay was for a time, possibly the most socially advanced country in Latin America.  This is reflected in the architecture of the period.

I recently spent a few days there and was able to make contact with Marta of Arquitectura Tours Montevideo who led me on a tour of some of the city centre's art deco and modernist buildings. I saw many fine examples of the style on the tour but there are many I have yet to see. The city has many other delights too, which I have already written about here, and together with the deco almost certainly means another visit is in order! I have picked a few of my favourite buildings to write about here.

Palacio Lapido on the main boulevard, Avenida 18th July was one of the highlights of my visit.  Built in 1933 and designed by architect Juan Aubriot, this modernist building was originally the home of the People's Tribune newspaper. It ran from 1879 to 1960 and was a liberal daily promoting free trade and acceptance of different religions and minorities. Constructed from reinforced concrete and cement columns and slabs, the Palacio makes a spectacular impact from its corner location with its differing staggered heights, a fin at the apex and the  glazed "ladder"on the stairwell. Best of all are the contrasting square balconies giving on to the Avenida and the delicious curved ones at nine of its 12 floors. Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1989, today it houses retail and office spaces.

Palacio Lapido

A short walk away, Calle Juan Carlos Gomez runs across Plaza Matriz where the city's cathedral and a popular park are located. Number 1388 was built in 1931 and designed by architects Vazquez Barriere and Rafael Ruano, in an elaborate art deco style. The main entrance to the building is extremely ornate with decorative panels above the door and to each side as well as wonderful 'sun-rays" metal detailing set into the glass of the doors themselves. You will see the doors first, but do make sure to look up and look down too. Look up to see the central part of the facade, which features decorative panels and square windows and the balconies to each side. The balustrades change as the building rises with a classical style cement balcony at the first level followed by a deco design in cement and then a series of differently designed metal rails at the upper levels. Beautiful. Look down at the pavement to see one of ten tiles to be found in the city identifying important art deco buildings and, where known, the details of the architect and the date built. The plaques were the work of Arquitectura Tours Montevido who won a competition to carry out this project and have produced a map and small booklet to help visitors and enthusiasts to find the buildings.

Entrance, Calle Juan Carlos Gomez, 1388

Look up! Calle Juan Carlos Gomez 1388.

Hall, Treinta Tres, 1334

Another building in the plaque project is Palacio Piria, an apartment block at Calle Treinta Tres 1334. Designed by Alberto Isola  it was built in 1928 with shops on the ground floor and apartments at the upper levels. It has highly decorative features in the ground floor common areas and I was lucky enough to be able to see the hall with its symmetrical arches, speed lines and fabulous stained glass windows in the side recesses. The block was built at the request of businessman Juan Fernando Piria who started life in the tailoring industry. Fittingly, the adjoining property is a tailor's shop and has a spectacular art deco floor. The shopkeeper knew Marta and was very happy for me to photograph the parts of the floor not covered with carpet. Piria was also responsible for the development of Piriapolis, a summer resort with a grand hotel.

Stained glass window, Treinta Tres, 1334

Detail, shop floor, Treinta Tres

Unfortunately, the dates and architects' details for several buildings are unknown. There are two examples of this in Sarandi, the main pedestrianised thoroughfare and shopping street in the Ciudad Vieja. Both are buildings I particularly like and are pictured below. The first, a corner building with the central curve dates from between 1930 and 1940. It was originally designed with retail on the ground floor and residential above. The building opposite with the layered windows, fins and glazed stairwells was built between 1940 and 1950 as a department store. Both require some care and attention but it is not difficult to imagine how striking these neighbours would be if repaired and cleaned up and what an impressive street this must have been in the past.

Details unknown, Sarandi

Details unkown Sarandi

Palacio Rinaldi stands in one corner of Plaza Independencia and has distinctive decorative stripes at the upper levels as well as different balconies at different levels, metal grille work and facade reliefs. There are several entrances to the building, some of them with grey marble surrounds, patterned lintels and glass and metal doors. Unfortunately some of the doors have lost their glass and in one lobby the lights no longer work. The building has nine floors and built in 1929, it was one of the country's first sky scrapers. It has competition for dominance of the square as the better known Palacio Salvo stands on the opposite corner. Salvo has some deco elements too, but is an "unusual" looking building to say the least. I find Rinaldi much more attractive although it cannot compete with Josephine Baker having once danced in the Salvo! Our friends Alberto Isola and Guillermo Armas, responsible for the Palacio Piria also designed the Rinaldi building. The Rinaldi also has one of the tiles from Marta's project.

Entrance, Palacio Rinaldi

Detail, Palacio Rinaldi

Away from the city centre, Pocitos is a lively residential, business and commercial area which looks onto the gorgeous waterfront and is sometimes referred to as Uruguay's Copacabana due to its beaches and skyscrapers. It is also home to several art deco buildings including Edificio El Mastil at Avenida Brasil 3105, designed by Vazquez Barriere and Rafael Ruano whom we met earlier. El Mastil has a definite nautical feel with those central balconies resembling a ship's prow and (for me at least) the side balconies looking like lifeboats! The main door is also special with its stylish lettering, gold coloured metalwork and wonderful porthole. Unfortunately on the day I went to Pocitos a thick fog descended from the water making my pictures darker than I would have liked. Still, it did add to the nautical illusion with El Mastil surrounded by a sea fog! 

Edificio El Mastil 

Entrance, Edificio El Mastil

Work is going on around the centre of Montevideo to regenerate the city, improve the environment and to attract more visitors from overseas. Interestingly, art deco seems to be playing a part in this. Down in the port area, a former apartment building has been turned into a hotel - Hotel Don - which at Piedras 234 faces the Mercado del Puerto (market of the port), which is filled with restaurants serving the Uruguayan speciality - grilled steaks. Built in 1938 and designed by the architect Nin, the hotel represents a real leap of faith as the port area is not deemed to be the best part of town after dark. 

Back on Avenida 18th July, the Jockey Cub is a spectacular art deco restaurant hidden inside a classicist building dating from 1932 and designed by French architect Joseph Carre.  It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975 but stood closed and unused for many years until the Portuguese hotel chain Pestana acquired it in 2010 and restored the restaurant to its former art deco glory. As well as offering lunches, afternoon tea and dinner, the Club also has a cultural programme with musical and literary events being held there. The next stage of redevelopment is to open a 100 rooms five star hotel in the rest of the building.  The restaurant is a must see for all art deco devotees.

Hotel Don

The Jockey Club

Lobby lights, the Jockey Club

As I noted at the beginning of this post, Montevideo has one of the largest collections of art deco and modernist buildings in the world - probably enough for another post at some point in the future. Until then, another favourite of mine to whet your appetite! This is one of several small police posts built in the 1930's opposite the waterfront in modernist, almost Bauhaus style. When I visited, there was no evidence of them being used for police purposes. They would make very nice ice cream kiosks or even small coffee and cake stands with a few external tables and chairs in the summer. Sounds like a job for me...

Police post, Rambla.

You might also like A Few Days In Montevideo

You can see more pictures from Montevideo here.

Contact Arquitectura Tours Montevideo on their Facebook page.

A few days in Montevideo

Montevideo is a city whose charms are not at first obvious but which soon reveal themselves given the chance. Often seen as a side trip of a couple of days from Buenos Aires, Montevideo is worth much more than that. The city boasts one of the best collections of art deco buildings anywhere in the world (which I will post about separately), has a lively arts scene including a great theatre and live music programme, eclectic cafes and restaurants and some interesting museums - most of which are free to visit. But perhaps the city's best assets are its 25 kilometres of promenade water front and its exceptionally friendly people.

Sunset on the water front

That friendliness is exhibited over and over again - the woman who crossed the street to explain that the restaurant I thought was closed would be opening in 15 minutes, the museum staff who allowed me to come in to the buildings to take pictures, the elderly waiter in a Pocitos cafe who put the wi-fi password into my phone for me despite us not having a language in common and the assistant at La Pasionaria who happily explained many of the design items to me without applying any obvious pressure to buy. Very refreshing after a week in beautiful but frenetic Buenos Aires.

Regular readers will know that I love to stroll in a city, happening upon its secrets and delights. Montevideo is full of unexpected treasures including the wild parakeets that gather in the park adjacent to the Decorative Arts Museum in Plaza Zabal. And the marching band in Plaza Matriz on Wednesday morning where an appreciative crowd politely applauded Cherry pink and apple blossom white and La Cumparsita.  Written by Uruguayan Matos Rodriguez, La Cumparsita is one of the most famous of tango dances and was first performed here in 1916. Tango is an important part of Uruguay's cultural heritage and there are often performances - both dance and singing at the beautiful Solis Theatre in the city centre. I attended a performance there by tango vocalist Malena Muyala during my stay.

Guard accompanying the marching band in Plaza Matriz

One of my other passions is spending time in cafes, reading and writing, observing the people coming and going and of course sampling the coffee and cake - or possibly the hot chocolate. Hot chocolate might be listed on menus here as "submarino"- hot milk with a small bar of the sweet stuff dropped into it, which gradually melts to give a chocolate drink. Montevideo has many good cafes, several of historical importance such as Cafe Brasilero at Ituzaingo 1447. Housed in an art nouveau building and once the haunt of writers and artists, including Eduardo Galeano, the cafe retains a number of original features including its beautiful bar, and attracts both locals and tourists.  Good cake, soups and sandwiches can be had here. 

Cafe Brasilero

Not too far away and also in the old city, heartier meals are on offer at Cafe Misiones. Established in 1907 and originally a pharmacy, the cafe has a beautiful green majolica front as well as a wonderful stained glass ceiling piece.  Las Misiones occupies a corner space at the junction of Misiones and 25 de Mayo streets and is very busy at lunchtime with workers from the nearby financial institutions tucking into grilled meats or sandwiches. I was very good and had a caprese salad which was very tasty. So were the chips I had with it. 

Cafe Misiones

Courtyard, La Pasionaria

La Pasionaria at Reconquista 527 is a more recent addition to Montevideo's classic cafes. Opened seven years ago, it serves high quality soups, sandwiches and light meals during the day in a light and contemporary space within a refurbished 19th century building. I enjoyed a bowl of carrot and orange soup followed by ginger and passion fruit ice cream with excellent coffee. As well as a cafe, La Pasionaria has a well stocked design shop where many of the items are made with recycled materials. Upstairs through a beautiful courtyard, there is a cutting edge boutique - mainly for women but with one or two men's items too. The staff are friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the products. A great place tucked away just a couple of minutes from the main tourist streets and one of my favourites from my visit.

The courtyard at La Pasionaria is filled with colour - the rich blue ceramic tiles of the planter, the lush green plants and the red flowers set off against the whitewashed walls. Montevideo is filled with splashes of colour including the spectacular painted pavement in Paraguay street and the occasional pieces of broken ceramic tile set into the path that you come across, set into the street by an anonymous artist. I am told that she or he wanted to fill the gaps with colour rather than leaving them empty and unattractive. A lot of the old city is being restored and no doubt the pavements will be too at some point but until then it is important to be careful. 

Paraguay Street

Pavement tiles by the anonymous artist

Floor tiles in Carpe Diem salon de te, Pocitos

There are some good, small art museums in the city. I managed to visit both the Torres Garcia Museum at Sarandi 683 and the relatively new Pedro Figari Museum at Juan Carlos Gomez 1427. Both men were important to the development of modern art in Uruguay. Figari's style is best described as naive, with simple depictions of the countryside, people at work and at social events. He is perhaps best known for being the first artist of significance in this part of world to include black people in his work, showing their influence on aspects of Uruguayan culture, especially candombe - an African music form which is very popular here. At the time of my visit, the Figari museum featured several of his paintings, sketches and illustrations on the ground floor with a small but excellent exhibition of items from the National School of Arts and Crafts featuring works produced during his period of management from 1915-17.

Mas Pus Verso bookshop

Torres Garcia worked in Spain with Gaudi no less to produce the stained glass windows in Palma Cathedral and the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. He also spent time in New York where he produced a number of expressionistic works depicting life in the city. These, and some of the wooden toys he designed, form the heart of the exhibition in the museum. It also has a good gift shop.  There is a beautiful book shop - Mas Puro Verso - in an art nouveau building next door to the museum. The star of the show here is the dramatic staircase at the rear of the shop and the huge stained glass window on the rear wall. There are some books in English as well as a range of CDs and a cafe on the upper level. I had a third museum on my list - the Jose Gurvich Museum. Unfortunately it was closed during my visit as it is relocating and will be open again later this year. Another reason to come back.

The majority of Uruguayans are descended from Spanish and Italian immigrants, but people came here from many other countries and communities during the 19th and 20th centuries. Many of them arrived through the port which as in many cities can be a little bit edgy at night but which during the day attracts many visitors to the indoor mercado with its several meat focused restaurants and the surrounding streets which have filled up with bars, cafes, design and fashion shops alongside the more traditional corner stores and residential streets. The Mercado de los Artesanos at San Jose 1312  has a good selection of items made from wood, leather and wool including toys, ornaments and clothing.  El Tungue Le is a quirky little shop selling vinyl records, CDs, musical instruments and objects for the home. There is even a vintage box-style record player used for playing the vinyl on. More stylish than Shoreditch.

El Tungue Le

View down Perez Castellano looking towards the port.

The old city, known here as the Ciudad Vieja can be a little quiet after the shops close but there are several good places to eat and drink. I especially enjoyed Dueto at Bartolome Mitre 1386 and Jacinto at  Sarandi 349. Dueto is a cozy restaurant run by a young couple - Pablo the chef and Mercedes who does front of house. Very friendly service and high quality food made me visit here twice during my short stay. Like most Uruguayan restaurants meat features prominently on the menu but Pablo is very happy to modify the menu to accommodate vegetarians - hence my excellent mushroom risotto. Jacinto is larger and more contemporary in its presentation. Good soups, salads and "modern cuisine" feature on the menu. A big eggplant salad followed by affogato made with dulche de leche for me here. Very nice. 

Something to note - most Uruguayan restaurants list something called cubierto on the bill - a cover charge per person. It can range from 50 to 200 pesos depending on the restaurant and sometimes can be more in the evening than during the day. Its not a tip, but part of the bill so you must pay it. Convert it back to sterling, dollars or Euros and you'll see its really a very small amount and the overall cost will almost certainly be less than you would pay at home for a good quality meal. Also, if you are not staying at an hotel where breakfast is part of the deal you might struggle to find something that you would know as breakfast at home. Urbani in Plaza Zabala serves eggs as you want them as well as coffee and fruit juice. Again, the service is friendly and if you manage to get a seat by the window there's a nice view too. 

I stayed at the Casa Sarandi guesthouse, a great little place in the old city, one short block away from the main pedestrian shopping street and in walking distance of most of the major sites.  Located in an art deco apartment, each of the three rooms has an en suite bathroom and there's access to a kitchen too. Owners Karen and Sergio welcome visitors and provide lots of information including a printed sheet listing places to eat, drink and shop, places to visit and lots of useful practical information about the city and beyond. Karen is also the author of the excellent website guruguay. This is a great tool for visitors to a city that does not yet have a single volume guide in English. Even better, Karen will be putting out the Guru'GUAY Guide To Montevideo in December this year with a lot more information and detail, so look out for that.

Finally, returning to my opening remarks, one of the best things about this city is its long long waterfront and an evening stroll along it is a great way to end any day.  

Look out for posts coming soon on Montevideo's great art deco heritage and also an exploration of the city's surprising Jewish history. A few more pictures to enjoy until then...

Decorated doorway, Perez Castellano

Stairway, Museum of Romance

Stairway, decorative arts museum

Plaza Independencia