Archives: Patrimoni Intangible

1. GENERAL CONTEXT

The urban fabric of the Cabanyal-Canyamelar neighbourhood is characterised by its marked orthogonal grid. This regular grid of its streets and avenues, has its origin in the alignments of shacks of the original nucleus and in the result of urban plans after the important fire of 1796. Through these plans, the reconstruction of the neighborhood began, grouping the buildings in elongated alignments parallel to the coast. Today, this grid still endures, drawing the alignments and axes of the neighborhood.

Within this urban fabric, it is necessary to value the functioning and role of the facades of the buildings: it is the visible part of the houses, which is directly related to the public thoroughfare and in which the characteristics, tastes and habits of the families that inhabit them are reflected.

In the evolution of the Cabanyal, the urban plan of the architect José Serrano of 1840 acquires special relevance. In this plan, Carrer de la Reina is laid out as the main axis of the nucleus. It will concentrate the main leisure buildings and homes of wealthy families in Valencia and Madrid, who since some decades before, already liked to “take the waters” and enjoy social life on the Cabanyal beach.

This new phenomenon had important repercussions from a social, economic, urban and architectural point of view: it led to the proliferation not only of housing for these wealthy families, but also of a wide repertoire of infrastructures that significantly modified the seascape.

Another fire, in 1875, caused almost all of the Cabanyal huts to be replaced by brick houses for families in the neighbourhood. Since then, and under the guidance of the architect Víctor Gonzálvez, the master builder Tomás Cardona and the draughtsman Vicent Nicolau, the emergence of facades with architectural ceramics begins.

Of the 700 protected houses of Cabanyal-Canyamelar, 300 show architectural tiles on their wonderful borders.

2. PRODUCTION / CHARACTERISTICS

Most of the houses in El Cabanyal not only had the house – which occupied the rooms on the upper floor – but also needed the ground floor as part of their business, workshop or for agricultural use. For this reason, a good number of houses have two heights plus the space under cover. The composition of the facades is based on a traditional basic scheme, with one or two hands:

+ Base or plinth, made of stone, tile or countertop, to alleviate the effects of moisture.

+ The body of the façade, from the top of the plinth to the cornice. It can be painted (in which white and blue predominate) or covered with ceramic tiles or tiles. It is also common to use decorative countertops in eaves, under cornice, under balconies, on the plinth or on the jambs. The balconies are made of wrought iron and the exterior carpentry is made of wood.

+ In the upper part of the facades, oculi are opened assiduously that serve as a ventilation point on the roof.

+ The roofs, mainly inclined of gabled with curved tiles. In many cases, the roofs are hidden behind the finishes of the facades with decorated parapets or balustrades.

Facade of Escalante Street, 211 Left, current appearance. Source: Eva Bravo.

Right, drawing of the restored façade according to Paula Carabal Maestro.
Source: Paula Carabal Maestro (2020-2021): Análisis histórico y tipológico del barrio del Cabanyal (Valencia). Proposal for the conservation and restoration of traditional facades.

The compositions and characteristics of the tiles, moldings and tonalities used on the façades of the Cabanyal, make this set a collection of the late s. XIX and early s. XX unique in Europe.

3. EXAMPLES OF THE CABANYAL

The house of blue diamonds and rhombuses (C/ Escalante, 308)

Example of a house of modest dimensions, but enriched with a border that presents a great diversity of decorative elements, although it does not preserve some of its original elements.

Its composition is of a single-family house of two heights and scheme in one hand: the ground floor is covered with white enamelled tiles, in which oval plaster moldings with white and turquoise rhombuses are opened that give it great uniqueness. On the upper floor part of the decoration has been lost: the original white and red tiles that covered the narrow space on both sides of the balconies, which are crowned by a border of corrugated plaster with shield, have not been preserved. On this, made with ceramic mosaic, two geometric roses show. The finish is another of the most excellent parts of this house, with a curved balustrade outlined with drops and three square corbels.

The yellow house at 77 Sant Pere Street

Symmetrical and harmonious composition with two hands in this house built in 1928. On a small tiled plinth, the ground floor has a false padding while the first floor shows a continuous smooth coating, interrupted by the horizontal molding that runs through it at the height of the lintels of the balconies. It is topped with a blind sill, which does not reveal its flat roof.

In this example the decoration is simple, based on the bichrome achieved by the moldings that surround the openings. Although its current state of conservation has mainly affected the carpentry of some openings, which are blinded, it still has many original elements.

The house of vases and gargoyles (C/ Progrés, 262)

Although built in 1917 on one floor, its façade reaches a certain height thanks to its large balustrade.

It is a magnificent example of different combinations of architectural ceramics, incorporating elements that make it very particular: such as the combination of white and light blue tiles at the top and light green and white at the bottom, both separated by a zigzag mosaic border. Also in mosaic, two columns of scales are made until reaching the border of roses that runs horizontally. Hence the balustrade decorated with 4 mosaics of vases and among these, the figures of 3 gargoyles that collect the waters from the roof stand out.

The magnificent state of conservation of this border is marred by the electrical wiring lianas that cross it. (A fact that unfortunately is repeated in many other protected houses of the Cabanyal).

1. GENERAL CONTEXT

Art Nouveau not only occurred in painting, sculpture and architecture, but also in the applied or decorative arts. This integrative concept includes the design of architectural elements with which to embellish both the interior of the buildings and their facades. Along with iron, carpentry, ceramics or glass, the use of moldings and wall paintings proliferated in the constructions of the time.

The most inspiring decorative themes come mainly from the natural world, along with exotic motifs from other cultures and idealized female images.

Architects and master builders found an environment favorable to novelties, putting them at the service of their clients’ desire for luxury and cosmopolitanism. For them they designed buildings with a great abundance of ornamental elements, of the most diverse origins: quilting, plaques, pilasters of various shapes, friezes, balustrades, corbels, vases, pinnacles, and a long etcetera of details and sculptural ornaments made of plaster and natural and / or artificial stone.

Another frequent feature is the use of polychrome decorations, either by contrasting materials, or by the inclusion of different paints between the mouldings and the continuous coatings of the facades.

2. PRODUCTION / CHARACTERISTICS

In the Cabanyal neighbourhood, Modernisme adopted a popular and genuine language. Both the mass production of architectural elements in plaster and artificial stones, as well as the realization of murals from climbs and stencils, favored its popularization.

Among the most frequent moldings and sculptural elements made of plaster and/or artificial stone, we must distinguish between those located on the facades or those that embellish the interior of buildings.

MOLDINGS

Facades

+ Brackets under balconies, among which the female figures and floral motifs stand out.

+ Contour of openings, usually in a tone that contrasts with the background of the façade.

+ Cornices and pilasters, of classical influence.

+ Balustrades and finishes of facades, intended to cover the slopes of the roofs.

+ Coats of arms with acronyms or dates, located on the finishes or above the main doors.

Interior

+ Vaulted with doors, shaped like an arch or lintel. + Ceilings that covered the slabs.

+ Perimeter cornices.

+ Panels, located in the center of the ceilings.

MURAL PAINTINGS

The location of the Cabanyal-Canyamelar neighborhood means that most of the coatings and elements of its facades are aimed at protecting them from moisture and sun. This means that wall paintings decorate, above all, the interior of buildings. However, we also find some elements that look outside.

Facades

+ Finishes. We find examples of initials and some stylized figurative paintings – such as the lions located in the house on Calle Escalante –.

Interior

+ Borders at the height of the plinth or cornice.

+ In ceilings and domes.

3. EXAMPLES OF THE CABANYAL

MOLDINGS

Parish of Christ the Redeemer (C/ de la Reina, 96)

Located between two buildings that gain in height, we find walking along Carrer de la Reina, the façade of this original parish. Founded in the mid-s. In the nineteenth century, this neo-Gothic building dates from around 1900. Its style makes it a unique case in the neighborhood, where the use of moldings give it that aspect that brings it closer to flamboyant Gothic.

The façade is of simple composition, with two doors framed by conopial arches decorated with plant motifs and topped with floral crosses. In the central part there is a rose window with openwork tracery, also topped by a decorated conopial arch. The upper part is topped by a stepped profile in which pointed trefoil arches are inserted, covered by red tile roofs. From the flanks rise two pinnacles also with plant motifs.

The parish actively participates in the Maritime Holy Week of Poblats Marítims, one of the main signs of sociocultural identity of these neighborhoods and declared, therefore, Intangible Cultural Heritage.

“La Fabriqueta”. Eclectic building on Pintor Ferrandis Street, 34.

This residential building is one of the best known in the neighborhood, since it was built in 1927. With a great profusion of ornamental elements, it does not follow a literal reading of the regionalist neo-baroque eclecticism, popular in Valencia in the 20s. It is a clear example of the free interpretation of architectural styles in the Cabanyal-Canyamelar.

With façades on three different streets, the main one faces Calle del Pintor Ferrandis and is structured in three parts: the central one, narrower, with a main door framed with plant motifs, volutes and central shield. Above this stands a circular balcony with balustrade, the opening of which is also vaulted with acrotera shaped like vases. Above, we see a new circular balcony with iron railing; and finally, a finish with multiple cornice, crowned by a vase. From this central element, the rest of the façade unfolds, repeating the same compositional scheme of lintel balconies on the first two floors, and arched on the last. But the most characteristic are the rounded corners and its two viewpoints with large windows divided by pilasters. And at the top, the complex is topped by semicircular arches framed by Solomonic columns and pediment with a central eye.

PAINTINGS

House of Bulls sundial

The U-shaped sundial, located on one side of the House of Bulls, was already made in 1895, when the building came into operation. It was located on the upper floor of the south façade, following an orientation towards the southwest. According to oral sources, another sundial was painted on the north side but was not successful, given its orientation.

The numbering in Roman numerals is painted on a sailor blue background; and the gnomon is placed on an astral yellow background. With the movement of the sun, it indicates the hours and half hours covering a cycle of twelve hours (from 6.30 to 18.30). On the Gnomon Wand, the date 1895.

Despite the long process of degradation of the Casa dels Torus, in 2011 it was possible to recover the clock with the repainting work and it has become one of the symbols of the Cabanyal-Canyamelar neighborhood.

Los Angeles Street, 25

This building draws attention to the mouldings in the shape of lion’s heads that we find on its façade. Another, in the form of a shield, informs us of its construction date: 1889.

Thanks to the artistic process carried out during the years 2007-2008 by the artists Patricia Gómez and Ma Jesús González, we can cross the border that supposes the façade, to discover the paintings of its rooms. With their registration, we verify the intention to dilute what is public and private in the homes of the Cabanyal. In its facades the taste for the decoration and ornamentation of the interior spaces is projected, especially in the rooms that occupied the house on the upper floor. On the ground floor, the large gates gave access to shops related to the activity generated by the old Cabanyal market – located in today’s Plaça del Doctor Llorenç de la Flor.

1. GENERAL CONTEXT

From the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, iron was applied to buildings in two different ways that are often complementary. On the one hand, we find “Iron Architecture”, which uses this material in the structure and composition of buildings, thus seeking to replace wood and provide greater lightness and modernity to constructions. On the other hand, we have the artistic foundry with which stair railings, balconies or grilles for doors and windows were molded.

The Valencian metal industry grew from the mid-nineteenth century and foundries (Ferrer or La Primitiva Valenciana, as examples) were still installed within the city, since it mainly supplied the local market. There was such a varied demand, not only applied to architecture but also to industry and agriculture, that many foreign artisans set up their workshops in Valencia.

2. PRODUCTION / CHARACTERISTICS

If we focus on the decorative elements produced with casting, in homes, we can see different uses of metal present even in the same façade:

+ Balcony railings, very careful for the social importance of this element in the houses, since they serve as a connection between the public and private spheres.

+ Cobblestones, at the top of the windows. It fulfills two functions: to protect the Venetian blind from inclement weather while hiding it in an aesthetic way. Valencia stands out as the Spanish city with the largest quantity and variety of this element and the second in Europe, after Lyon.

+ The “faces of water”, which are popularly interpreted as an element of protection of the house and its inhabitants. We can find them in gutters, drains and downspouts. There are faces of children, women, bearded lords and even mythological beings.

+ The grilles on doors and windows that, on the one hand, respond to a need for separation and security of private space from the street, especially on the ground floor. On the other hand, in these elements functionality is combined with aesthetics by modeling plant or geometric shapes in detail.

3. EXAMPLES OF THE CABANYAL

The faces of C/ Josep Benlliure

Walking along this street, with great attention, we can find several “faces of the water”. With the faces of a woman and a man, with and without beards, they look from the gutters in search of any danger that might affect the house they are guarding. Or so it’s called.

We can also discover traces of the producers of the drains that run along the facades: the Ferrer foundry, one of the most important in Valencia in the early twentieth century.

C/Barraca 116, 141, 147, 149, 151…

The lambrequins find a very prominent place, both in quantity and variety, in Calle Barraca. The iron ones look like die-cut templates, almost always with plant, organic or geometric motifs, and used to match the design of the balcony. At first, they were a symbol of the economic power of the owners, since producing them from iron was more expensive than making them from wood or plaster. But, over time, foundry work became cheaper, probably due to serial and catalogue work and the number of workshops present in Valencia.

El Casinet (Josep Benlliure Street, 272)

Built in 1909, it is the popular name by which the building of the Societat Musical Unió de Pescadors is known. It was relevant in the Valencian political panorama since, from its balconies, Blasco Ibáñez gave more than one speech. The railings are made of iron, with modernist plant motifs, and are combined with the grilles of the windows on the ground floor. The balcony became a space for socio-political projection instead of another decorative and functional element of the building.

1. GENERAL CONTEXT

It is surprising that the wood industry was one of the most important in Valencia in the twentieth century, due to the small amount of forest present in the territory. The raw material was actually transported from Aragon, Cuenca or Teruel to the city, where it was sawn and redistributed. Valencia was supplied with wood mainly through the Turia, rather than by land, since the Middle Ages. This means of transport was called “maderada” and is associated with trades that have disappeared such as crocheter, who guided the trunks through the current like a shepherd.

The factories of planks, windows and doors were traditionally located near the bridge of Sant Josep, since it was the place where the wood of the Turia was extracted. There were numerous both in the area of Guillem de Castro and in the Plain of Saidia, where one of the most powerful logging industries could be found: that of the Comín brothers.

In addition to around the Sant Josep bridge, the port area also saw an expansion of the timber industry in the late nineteenth century. One of the causes was the manufacture of boxes and barrels for the export of agricultural products and wine. The other reason was the increasing importation of sea and rail transport, which made the maderades disappear.

2. PRODUCTION / CHARACTERISTICS

In the construction of buildings, wood is used in the structure (slabs, beams) and enclosures (ceilings, windows and doors), but it is also worked from an aesthetic point of view in the form of coffered ceilings, cobblestones and doors with moldings decorated with organic shapes or typical of the natural world. Even so, for a long time carpenters were known as fat carpenters, while cabinetmakers or fine carpenters made furniture and work considered more delicate.

One of the most appreciated woods was the mobile wood, which was named for the import from the port of Mobile (USA) in the late nineteenth century. It came from up to four species of pine, large planks were obtained and presented greater resistance against pests.

With Art Nouveau we find a very careful application of artistic carpentry, where curved lines predominate, and which expanded among artisans through catalogues and albums with engravings.

In Valencia, buildings from the early twentieth century stand out with wood as the protagonist: the ticket offices and plinths of the North Station (1907-1917) and the Ferrer Building (1908), which presents curved shapes and elements reminiscent of nature in the door and lobby.

3. EXAMPLES OF THE CABANYAL

In the houses of the Cabanyal, we find a functional carpentry focused on doors and windows. They are simple and practical elements, where the decorative elements do not stand out. In the doors, there is a difference between the two sheets and a symmetrical pattern is followed with panels and moldings that produce angles and shadows. Some of the most decorated are located in C/ de la Reina and C/ Barraca.

This is often combined with windows and grilles on the doors themselves, which provide lightness and aesthetic brushwork. At the same time, the security and privacy of the inhabitants is not left aside, an essential function of these elements that separate the intimate from the public.

Another artistic application closely related to wood and carpentry is molding, used to decorate the upper and sides of entrances.

Another of the most particular features of the Cabanyal, and of the entire city of Valencia, is the lambrequí. There are few examples made of wood of this element that covered the Venetian blinds, if we compare with the large amount present in the neighborhood of cast iron cobblestones. Perhaps its presence is less due to the conservation of the material, which may be more affected by the humid and salty climate of this area of the city. Whether made of wood or iron, they share common characteristics such as die-cutting or reliefs of elements of nature.

1. GENERAL CONTEXT

One of the most outstanding uses of ceramics is the interior flooring of the houses, highly demanded by both bourgeois and humble families. Although we have examples from antiquity, such as Roman mosaics, ceramic flooring or hydraulic tile that many of us remember became popular from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

With the growth of the modern city, the preference for ceramics in pavements responds to:

+  The needs of greater hygiene and comfort.

+  Its insulation capacity.

+  The decorative character that also showed the social and economic status of the owners.

+  The revaluation of the decorative arts by Art Nouveau, a style that developed between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

After the fire of 1875, the old huts began to be replaced in the Cabanyal by brick houses considering these factors and ceramics were used intensively, in pavements, plinths and facades.

2. PRODUCTION / CHARACTERISTICS

The Valencian ceramics industry supplied the local and international markets, with a lot of prominence in South America. Most of them were small family bakeries or large factories located far from the urban center (such as in Manises, Burjassot or Onda).

Among the most appreciated types of ceramics of the time, two stand out: the Nolla mosaic and hydraulic tile, which are often confused with each other. The difference is found in the material and the manufacturing process. In 1860 the factory of Miquel Nolla, who had imported English technology, emerged in Meliana. It was based on the production of geometric pieces of a very resistant material (porcelain stoneware), of small size and in a great variety of shapes and colors.

The Nolla family soon became a famous and expensive product, which is why we find them mainly in bourgeois housing. Families who could not afford this expense resorted to hydraulic pavement, which was more affordable because it did not go through the furnace (a hydraulic press is used). Although mosaics were made with small pieces very similar to the Nolla, it is more common to find square tiles of 20×20 cm.

3. EXAMPLES OF THE CABANYAL

There were at least two ceramics factories, specialized in hydraulic tiles, located in El Cabanyal: José Burgos, at 111 José Benlliure Street, and Vicente Noguera, at number 4 on the same street. In many homes, in different areas or cities, we can find the same pavements because the factories worked with catalogs and mass-produced.

C/ de la Reina, 121

It stands out that through a very limited number of pieces in similar colors, 3 different geometric models are composed for three rooms. The floors on the ground floor are much simpler than those above, this could give clues about the usefulness or inhabitants of the rooms on one floor and the other.