La manzana de la Rivera

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Manzana de la Rivera is a cultural symbol of Paraguay. It is an antique house transformed into a libray-theater-cafe. Nowadays, the "Manzana" plays an important role in the paraguayan society.

1 Location
2 History
3 Houses of la Manzana
4 Other significant facts
5 Schedule
6 See also

[edit] Location

Main entrance of Manzana de la Rivera

Located in Asunción Paraguay, the architectonic complex named Manzana de la Rivera : group of nine restored houses and a new construction. It is located in front of the Government House. Its denomination comes from an old nearby street name: Calle de la Rivera; also the headquarter and the harbor. This is the cultural centre of the city. It is located in the street Juan de Ayolas 129, Asunción.

[edit] History

Patio Leonor

After the change of government in 1989, people wanted to restore few places in town. In this context, a group of architecture students started the campaign “Salvemos la Manzana frente al palacio” which means “let’s save the apple in front of the government house”, due to the damage of the construction and in opposition to a project that pretended to demolish to build a park in its place. Due to the celebration of the 500 years of America’s discovery, there were established through all Ibero América some commissions to organize few actions about it. The Comisión V Centenario Paraguay, presided by the architect Juan Cristaldo, includes the Project Casa Viola , among the principal projects to be done, which was presented by the writer Augusto Roa Bastos in front of the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (Spanish agency of international cooperation). During the administration of the mayor José Luis Alder, Asuncion’s town hall acquired the property of the Manzana. The restoration works started in 1991, year in which the buildings started to function again to turn it into the cultural centre of the city. Its first director was the architect Carlos Colombino.

[edit] Houses of la Manzana

Viola House

The Viola House is a typical colonial construction dated from 1750-1758, its location answers to the disposition of the streets before Doctor Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia squared the city. The house has a tile roof. There is a gallery in front; behind the gallery there is a blacksmith’s shop built over wooden beams and columns. Previously, the house had three big rooms, now there’s only one, located in front of the government. In the back part there is a passing gallery, as a sample of the culata yovai, type of antique Paraguayan houses. The roof is made of palm and tacuara; the tiles are set with a mud kind of cement. Nowadays the house functions as a museum in commemoration of the city, that treasures texts, maps, objects, paints, graphics, as well as different elements that tell the history of Asunción, since its foundation untill our days.

Clari House

Located next to the “Viola House”, this house is a simple construction with an interior gallery with rooms next to each others. Built by the architect Clari at the beginnings of the 20th century with a late Art Nouveau style. The Café Bar Casa Clari is now working in the house, the Miguel Acevedo space, where pieces of arts and the guests department are shown. These two are late constructions built in the property of the house.

Clari-Mestre House

This building, adjoining with “Casa Clari” was built in 1912 with a neoclassic style. At the restoration moment, it had a zinc roof, which was supposedly placed after its construction. The ceiling was made of cardboard, with relief and no colors. Due to its bad conditions, it was decided to put a tile roof. Due to the different levels that the house had, it was easy to create an auditorium. In this auditorium named Ruy Diaz de Guzmán concerts, theater shows, dance shows and book presentations are made among lots of other activities.

Vertúa House

From all the buildings that make up the Manzana, this was the only one that had the possibilities of having a second floor. It was built in 1998 with a neoclassic style. Right there, it was a sweetshop with the same name. In 1993 it turns into the office of the Municipal Library, having more than 20.000 volumes of books. It also has an “hemeroteca” a place for quick and actualized reading, as well as a mobile library service that goes through lots of schools and parks of the city.

Emasa House

At the moment of the restoration, it was the most destroyed one, since a printing house had been installed in there, it was necessary to tear away part of the roof. It was first used as a customs office, leaving only a group of big rooms that go along the edge of a kind of passage. This was replaced by some sort of impluvium with concrete columns. Now days, the office of the Cultural Centre of the City, the office of the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation (Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional), and the office of the Paraguayan Chamber of the Associated Booksellers (Camara paraguaya de Libreros Asociados) are in there. It also has a space named “La Galeria” (the gallery) that works as an exhibition place, mainly of sculptures and equipment.

Castelví House

Previously known as the “Casa Serra”, the “Castelvi House” is a building from the year 1804, and was made still with the colonial system. It has the original doors, windows, window bars, and one of the floors. It’s a pre-Franciscan house, located 15 mts from the street; it has an external garden that forms part of the urban zone, eliminating the wall. The house was built by the Catalonian José Castelvi, back then, Asuncion’s vice mayor. Nowadays there are two exhibition rooms: Juan A. Samudio and Domingo Martínez de Irala. There is also a playroom for the kids. In the garden of the house, named Patio Arecayá in commemoration to the Arecayá Indian rebellion, various outside activities are carried out.

Serra I and Serra II Houses

Both houses represent the neoclassic style of housing, with rooms located near the street. They have two hallways, which is why it’s supposed that they were two twin houses that merged in. Nowadays there is the Municipal videotheque that has videos and documentaries with educational and cultural topics, directed specially to students. In the Patio Leonor, (joining of the internal gardens of the “Castelvi”, “serra I and II”) different kinds of shows are carried out.

Ballario

Built in 1901 with a neoclassic style, it was the last restored house. With its room in June, 1996, the house was completely restored. The house is site of the offices of the UNESCO in Paraguay.

Sculpture at the entrance of la Manzana de la Rivera

[edit] Other significant facts

In 1993 it was planned to build an experimental theater in the waste property that was part of the Manzana. Due to this a contest of ideas for young architects was called. Javier Corvalán was the winner of this contest. The Multiuse lounge Federico García Lorca was finally inaugurated in June 26th, 1999, with the visit of the Spanish president José María Aznar. Between the services that the Cultural Centre of the city lends to the community, there is the Mobile Scenario, donated by the Swedish Actors Syndicate and the Magna Room of information, communication and learning. Since its foundation, the Centre had turned into an obligated referent spot for the culture lovers.