No. 29 - Its Gran Canaria Magazine

36
GET TO KNOW GRAN CANARIA I CONOCE GRAN CANARIA EDICIÓN 29
El Toril, an area well worth discovering
Thanks to it being converted into the headquarters
of the Rectorate of the University of Las Palmas
de Gran Canaria -despite its past as the first secondary
school in the province of Las Palmas, Commercial
Studies and Military Hospital- this classic
building was not fully appreciated by the island’s
younger generations. Now it is not only an icon of
the university, but also the symbol of its corporate
image and the pride of the city. Architect Luis Alemany
was commissioned to adapt the building to
its current function in 1993. It was built between
1919 and 1925, with the design of Enrique Casañas,
at the end of a row of houses belonging to the
city's bourgeoisie, overlooking the Guiniguada ravine.
Despite this history, it is still uncommon for
people to know that this area in the historic centre
of the city is called El Toril, yet it is a place that is
worth walking around and discovering its charms,
beyond this emblematic construction.
Showpiece architecture
Right on the fictitious bridge that separates the
neighbourhoods of Triana and Vegueta is Calle
Juan de Quesada, just a short distance from Plaza
de Santa Ana. It sits on the site formerly occupied
by the demolished and historic Puente de Piedra,
or Stone Bridge, and is now an road overrun
by huge development, on the banks of the buried
Guiniguada ravine. It is a road that is well worth
walking along, as it leads to the area of the capital
known as El Toril. It was originally an esplanade of
land between the Plaza de Santa Ana and the right
bank of the Guiniguada ravine, which was used as
a "bull run" for the bulls that used to be taken to
bullfighting events. This narrow corridor, which is
reflected in the city map dating from the early 20th
century, was used for the entrance of the bulls into
the bullring from the bull pen and nowadays bears
the name of Doramas, an iconic aboriginal leader.
The street was conceived in 1868 and is characterised
by its family homes, with their façades projecting
towards the Barranco del Guiniguada ravine.
Even today, most of them still conserve the style
in which they were designed, a combination of
modernism, classic-romantic and rationalism. They
constitute an architectural gem and include front
gardens and imposing towers and belvederes.
However, as already mentioned, the most significant
building is the Rectorate, which takes up
more than 2,000 square metres, with a classicist-academic
main façade and an open cylindrical
pavilion that rises up as an urban landmark, with a
dome over a rotunda of eight pilasters. From here,
galleries defined classrooms on both sides, with interior
courtyards that on the rear façade overlook
an interior street. Over time, gardens and rear pavilions
were incorporated to enhance the facilities
provided there.
Cultural landscape
Óleo El Toril, de Jorge Oramas
Apart from providing stunning view of some
unique houses, as visitors stroll through the area,
it is impossible not to evoke other times of the city
and imagine this very area with the leafy ravine
that is now hidden away, especially at a time when
water flowed through there, from the peaks of
the island down into town. When this prodigious
event took place, it was a must-see for the townsfolk,
who flocked to enjoy the feast of the streams
in all their splendour. Now it can only be imagined,
or is just a memory for the generations that were
able to enjoy it. As silent witnesses of the wonder,
there are hundreds of trees that have survived the
times of destruction.
Today, El Toril carries on its daily life, thanks mainly
to the presence of the University of Las Palmas de
Gran Canaria, but also to the fact that its Auditorium
is the venue for concerts held by the Philharmonic
Society of Las Palmas, the oldest of its kind
in Spain, and to the excellent exhibitions on display
in its Art Hall. In this cultural aspect, the headquarters
of Fundación MAPFRE Guanarteme is also
noted for its commitment to culture in general and
especially to the arts, music and literature, which
is manifested through a wide range of exhibitions,
contests, public competitions, prizes, publications,
seminars, courses and workshops that make up
part of its activities programme every year.
A neighbourhood full of opportunities
Fans of flea markets will have great fun as they stroll
through El Toril, thanks to the presence of a number
of charity markets and second-hand shops run by
the Obra Social de Acogida y Desarrollo. These establishments
offer visitors the chance to purchase
a whole range of objects, from antiques, collectors'
items, clothes, a wide variety of books, household
goods and furniture, electrical appliances and anything
else you care to imagine. These items have
been previously donated by generous residents
who wish to collaborate with the Obra Social. After
being classified, they are displayed in the shops so
that anyone who wishes to purchase them can do
so in exchange for a modest donation. These are
two ways in which we can contribute to the maintenance
and upkeep of the Casa Hogar.
Oramas, the artist
In order to enjoy the past of this neighbourhood
to the full, there is an extensive collection of historical
photographs, but its most beautiful image
was undoubtedly captured by the Canarian painter
Jorge Oramas, in his oil painting entitled El Toril.
Despite his short but intense career, he emerged
as one of the most important artists of the Canarian
art scene in the first half of the 20th century. His
works are part of our collective memory as islanders
and showcase the island’s powerful cultural
production, both in the context of our archipelago
and beyond. Born in 1911 into a humble family, at
the age of 17 Oramas began working as a barber,
while in his spare time he was self-taught in painting
and drawing. In 1932, he fell ill with tuberculosis.
From that moment on, the Hospital San Martín, at
the top of El Toril, would be his home and artistic
refuge. The windows of his room looked out onto
the exterior, showing landscapes that would be enhanced
by his iconic light and a colour never before
seen on the islands. The Riscos de San Nicolás, the
washerwomen and water carriers of the Guiniguada
ravine became the protagonists of his inspiration,
emerging from the postulates of magical realism.
In 2003, an exhibition of his work, Oramas,
metaphysical solar at the Museo Nacional Centro
de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, transcended his figure
beyond the islands’ borders.