THE DISAPPEARING HOUSES OF PONTEVEDRA

 

I've written this note on the private single-dwelling houses in the city of Pontevedra simply because their days are clearly numbered. I believe they deserve to be remembered so, if no one else has made a better record, this will have to do for those that still remain as of summer 2006..

I've been meaning to do this for some time but have prevaricated. Sadly, I've been prompted into belated action by the fact my favourite house now looks like this:-

And my second favourite, like this:-

                                                                                                                       

But first the shops . . .

Just outside its glorious old quarter, the city of Pontevedra retains some buildings in its more modern - but still very Spanish/Galician - architectural idiom. These can be seen in the shopping streets that run towards the newer areas of town away from the Alameda and the town hall. As in these photos:-

                                                                                                                       

There are also a few examples left in the slightly less salubrious streets which run from the Alameda towards the port and La Barca bridge:-

                                                                                                                       

Further into the newer areas of the city, there are still the occasional short stretches of 2 to 4 storey blocks such as in the 3 photos that follow. But these are rapidly giving way to yet more anodyne [or downright ugly] 7 to 8 storey blocks of flats.

                                                                                                           

As I say, these traditional and relatively low buildings are increasingly rare. As a case in point, this is what now appears adjacent to the building in the last photo, where there was a similar shop and tobacconist's the last time I walked past:-

You can easily guess what it will be in a year or two's time.

As for houses proper, here are a few down near the original port, not far from the bullring. The rest of the long riverfront has now been given over to blocks of flats:-

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

And here are a couple of views of the glorious old Customs building, nearby:-

                                                                                                                   

Just up from the river, in Avenida de Colón, this house [next to the town's Archives building] is now a scrap metal shop:-

And these are two views of the same house in Calle Echegaray, which leads off from the Alameda towards La Barca bridge. Until recently, it had a sort of twin at the other end but this is now one of the gaps I showed at the start of this note:-

                                                                                                                       

Within the main shopping area, there are precious few single-dwelling houses left. Here are those I've been able to find to date:-

                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                       

 

The next two buildings are clearly not houses but do have some claim to fame. The first is possibly Pontevedra's only Art Deco building, actually a petrol station smack in the middle of the shopping precinct. And the second, I guess, is a 1930s building not far away still being used as a car repair shop and garage. They are surely both doomed:-

                                                                                                                       

Here is what you can do when you want to build 4 storeys. Or what used to be done, I should say.

And, finally, here are front and back views of my favourite building in Pontevedra. Built 100 years ago, by someone returning from Cuba, it's no longer a single family dwelling. But it was back then. Fortunately, it stands on the edge of some lovely gardens and so is not entirely dwarfed by blocks of ugly concrete. I would hope it is secure. But who knows? The other side from the gardens is the town's financial centre . . .