Milenarios, por Juan Carlos Saavedra · Bilenio Actividades Culturales

Miguel Martín Fernández de la Torre

·20 min·2 clips

The grandson of architect Miguel Martín Fernández de la Torre reveals how his grandfather defied family expectations to study architecture.

The episode is an interview format focused on the life and work of Canarian architect Miguel Martín Fernández de la Torre, conducted by host Juan Carlos Saavedra with the architect's grandson, José Miguel Martín Fernández Periquet. It begins with a biographical introduction: Miguel was born in Las Palmas in 1894 into a merchant family that expected him to take over the business, but he was passionate about architecture, influenced by his older brother, the painter Néstor. He studied in Barcelona starting in 1910, then moved to Madrid in 1914 due to the First World War and political tensions, studying alongside future prominent Spanish architects. After graduating in 1920, he opened his own studio in Madrid. In 1922, politician José Mesái López convinced him to return to Las Palmas to develop a major urban plan to unite the city's districts like Vegueta, Triana, and La Isleta. His arrival marked a turning point in Canarian architecture. The guest describes Miguel's initial projects, which followed international styles rather than rationalism, like the Banco Exterior de España building. A key moment was his project at Bravo Murillo 13, where the exterior was classical but the interior hall and patio were fully rationalist, showcasing his transition. To persuade conservative local clients, Miguel developed a method of presenting three facade options: classical, 'Neocanario' (a term coined by Néstor Álamo which Miguel disliked), and rationalist, letting the client choose. The first client to accept the modern style was for Casa Machín around 1927. The interview then shifts to Miguel's relationship with his brother Néstor. As Néstor's symbolic/modernist painting fell out of fashion in the late 1920s due to new art trends and economic downturn, he faced depression and was abandoned by his partner. Miguel invited him to Las Palmas, providing work on the Pérez Galdós Theater decoration and the Santa Cruz Casino mural. Néstor subsequently developed a vision to promote Canarian identity through architecture, imagining whitewashed buildings with native flora in the city's steep neighborhoods (riscos). Together, they conceptualized projects like a mountain lodge in Tejeda, the 'Canarian town', and the Santa Catalina Hotel to attract tourists arriving by ship. After Néstor's death in 1938, Miguel honored him by completing the Canarian town and building the Santa Catalina Hotel, which is the only project he ever signed. The guest notes that Miguel later returned to rationalist architecture but continued to evolve, designing a modern clinic in the 1970s at nearly 80 years old. He also highlights that Miguel designed Spain's first multifunctional building, the Casa del Marino, between 1959-60, which combined a hotel, hospital, church, shopping center, and housing.

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