Clock Tower (Iquique)

Last updated
Clock Tower of Iquique. Torrerelojiquique.JPG
Clock Tower of Iquique.

The Clock Tower is a National Historic Landmark located in Plaza Arturo Prat in Iquique, Chile. It was built in 1878 (when Iquique was in Peruvian territory), with the mechanism imported from England.

Contents

According to Patricio Advis, the Clock Tower, together with the buildings surrounding it in the plaza (the Municipal Theater of Iquique, the building of the Workers Welfare Society of Tarapacá, the Casino Español and the Club Croata) is one of the most representative urban expressions of the "Saltpeter Period", a time which saw much foreign investment.

History

Plaza Arturo Prat in 1901. Chile Plaza Iquique 1901.jpg
Plaza Arturo Prat in 1901.

Its construction was approved by the mayor Benigno Posada and the Government of the City Council on 14 December 1877, to replace the clock of the church, which had been destroyed by fire in 1873.

The committee appointed to plan the project estimated that it would take 7000 soles to purchase the clock, of which the sale was eventually agreed with the jeweler Federico Franzt. The four-faced clock, marking the quarter-hour with a smaller bell, and the hour with a larger, was shipped from England on December 10, 1878, on board the steamer Ibis. [1]

The tower, the design of which is attributed to Manuel Eduardo Lapeyrouse, [2] was built in 1878, so that the newly arrived machinery was shortly installed. It is estimated that it was running by January 1879, about three months before the start of the Pacific War.

In October 1880, the tower survived a fire that destroyed much of the center of Iquique. As a result, the square was expanded into the areas to the south and west destroyed by the fire, and renamed Plaza Arturo Prat. The tower would remain off-centre, until, in 1889, it was moved to its current position by a company of the Pisagua battalion, by the order of mayor Ramon Yabar.

It was declared a National Historic Landmark on July 13, 1987. [2]

Features

The tower's style is eclectic, combining Gothic elements with elements of Islamic architecture. The building also exhibits pointed, toothed, and lobed arches in the same composition, evoking a Mudéjar style.

It is built of Oregon pine, and consists of three staggered sections, each with a square plan. The base has in each of its four sides pointed arches which are open like a portico. [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chilean Navy</span> Branch of the Chilean Armed Forces

The Chilean Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iquique</span> City and Commune in Tarapacá, Chile

Iquique is a port city and commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Pampa del Tamarugal, which is part of the Atacama Desert. It has a population of 191,468 according to the 2017 census. It is also the main commune of Greater Iquique. The city developed during the heyday of the saltpetre mining in the Atacama Desert in the 19th century. Once a Peruvian city with a large Chilean population, it was conquered by Chile in the War of the Pacific (1879–1883). Today it is one of only two free ports of Chile, the other one being Punta Arenas, in the country's far south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Flag Memorial (Argentina)</span> Historic site in Rosario, Argentina

The National Flag Memorial in Rosario, Argentina, is a monumental complex built near the shore of the Paraná River. It was inaugurated on June 20, 1957, the anniversary of the death of Manuel Belgrano, creator of the Argentine flag, who raised it for the first time on an island on the opposite shore of the river on February 27, 1812.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arturo Prat</span> Chilean navy officer

Agustín Arturo Prat Chacón was a Chilean lawyer and navy officer. He was killed in the Battle of Iquique, during the War of the Pacific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa María School massacre</span> 1907 massacre of mine workers in Chile

The Santa María School massacre was a massacre of striking workers, mostly saltpeter works (nitrate) miners, along with wives and children, committed by the Chilean Army in Iquique, Chile, on December 21, 1907. The number of victims is undetermined but is estimated to be over 2,000. The massacre occurred during the peak of the nitrate mining era, which coincided with the Parliamentary Period in Chilean political history (1891–1925). With the massacre and an ensuing reign of terror, not only was the strike broken, but the workers' movement was thrown into limbo for over a decade. For decades afterwards, there was official suppression of knowledge of the incident, but in 2007 the government conducted a highly publicized commemoration of its centenary, including an official national day of mourning and the reinterment of the victims' remains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleuterio Ramírez</span> Chilean colonel (1837–1879)

Eleuterio Ramírez Molina was a Chilean lieutenant colonel. He founded the Foro Militar military newspaper in 1871.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Mayor, Salamanca</span> Square in Epila , Spain

The Plaza Mayor in Salamanca, Spain is a large plaza located in the center of Salamanca, used as a public square. It was built in the traditional Spanish baroque style and is a popular gathering area. It is lined by restaurants, ice cream parlors, tourist shops, jewelry stores and a pharmacy along its perimeter except in front of the city hall. It is considered the heart of Salamanca and is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful plazas in Spain. It is connected to the shopping area Calle del Toro from the northeast, Calle de Zamora from the north, the restaurants on Calle de Concejo from the northwest, Calle del Prior and the small Calle de la Caja de Ahorros from the west as well as Plaza del Corrillo from the south.

Baquedano Street is a long avenue in the old quarter of Iquique, Chile. It is a popular tourists attraction and is a “typical zone,” a status that preserves its historical and architectural heritage. It is characterized by its late 19th- and early 20th-century houses built of wood from Europe.

Chilean corvette <i>Esmeralda</i>

Esmeralda was a wooden-hulled steam corvette of the Chilean Navy, launched in 1855, and sunk by the Huáscar on 21 May 1879 at the Battle of Iquique during the War of the Pacific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Iquique</span> 1879 naval battle during the War of the Pacific

The Battle of Iquique was a naval engagement on 21 May 1879, during the War of the Pacific, where a Chilean corvette commanded by Arturo Prat Chacón faced a Peruvian ironclad under Miguel Grau Seminario. The battle occurred off the port of Iquique, Peru, and ended with the sinking of the Chilean wooden corvette Esmeralda by the Peruvian ironclad Huáscar after four hours of combat, marking a victory for Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle of Jimena de la Frontera</span> Historic site in Jimena de la Frontera, Spain

The Castle of Jimena de la Frontera is a castle located in Jimena de la Frontera, Spain. It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaning Tower of Zaragoza</span> Former tower in Zaragoza, Spain

The Leaning Tower of Zaragoza, sometimes called by its Spanish name, Torre Nueva, was a Mudéjar leaning tower located in current Plaza de San Felipe, in Zaragoza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarapacá campaign</span> 1879 stage of the War of the Pacific

The Tarapacá campaign was a short stage of the War of the Pacific in the last months of 1879, after the Chileans won definitive naval superiority at Angamos. It took its name from the region where it was fought.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Iquique</span> Church in Iquique, Chile

The Immaculate Conception Cathedral also called Iquique Cathedral It is a cathedral church of Catholic worship, home of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Iquique in the northern part of the South American country of Chile. It was consecrated in 1882 under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Sotomayor</span>

The Plaza Sotomayor is a plaza in Valparaíso, Chile. It is named after Rafael Sotomayor. The square is lined by buildings occupying full block-fronts of the streets that flank it. The focus of the square is the monument that honors the Chilean sailors who fell during the Battle of Iquique and the Battle of Punta Gruesa. The plaza and surrounding buildings was designated a Zona Típica on January 23, 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clock Tower (Central University of Venezuela)</span> Clock tower at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas

The UCV Clock Tower, also known by its Spanish name Torre del Reloj de la UCV, or Reloj de la UCV, is a monument made of prestressed concrete. It is by the Rectory Plaza of the Central University of Venezuela in the University City of Caracas, and was built between 1953 and 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iglesia de San Ignacio (Santiago de Chile)</span> Catholic church and national monument of Chile

The iglesia San Ignacio, also known as iglesia del Colegio de San Ignacio, is a Roman Catholic church founded by the Society of Jesus in Santiago, Chile. It is next to the Colegio San Ignacio, and was declared as a National Historic Monument in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edificio Armada de Chile</span> National monument of Chile

The Edificio de la Comandancia en Jefe de la Armada de Chile, also known as Edificio de la Intendencia de Valparaíso, because it was a purpose-built Intendencia, is a building designed in an eclectic style with Renaissance Revival architecture elements, which rises 5 floors in height and covers 8,000 square metres (86,000 sq ft). The main facade of the building faces the Plaza Sotomayor of Valparaíso and the Monument to the Heroes of Iquique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German Tower, Lima</span> Clock tower in Lima, Peru

The German Tower, also known as the Clock Tower or the University Clock, is a clock tower in the historic centre of Lima, Peru. It is located in front of the Casona de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, in the University Park at the intersection of Abancay and Nicolás de Piérola avenues. It was donated in 1921 by the German community in Lima, on the occasion of the Centennial of the Independence of Peru. At twelve in the day and at six in the afternoon, its chimes played the first stanza of the National Anthem of Peru.

References

  1. Donoso Rojas, Carlos (August 2003). Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (ed.). "El puerto de Iquique en tiempos de administración peruana" (PDF). 36. Historia: 123–158. ISSN   0717-7194.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. 1 2 3 Supreme Decree 433 Declara Monumento Histórico la Torre-Reloj de la plaza Prat, de Iquique, I Región de Tarapacá (13 de julio de 1987) (Santiago)
  3. "Torre el Reloj de Iquique , Chile". RutasChile.com. Retrieved June 28, 2010.

20°12′51″S70°9′9″W / 20.21417°S 70.15250°W / -20.21417; -70.15250