Overview
The Estación Mapocho Cultural Center is located in one of the most important and beautiful historical monument of Santiago; the old train station of the city. It was designed by the Chilean architect Emilio Jecquier, this building of neoclassical style was built in 1910 as a gesture of modernity for a country that move forward to the progress, within the context of the celebration of Independence’s Centenary of Chile.
In 1987 the Estación Mapocho stopped to work as a train station. At the beginning of 1990 decade, with the return of the democracy, the Chilean Government fixed one of the most important gesture to the infrastructure and cultural revitalization of Chile: the construction of Estación Mapocho Cultural Center from the remodeling of the old train station. With an unprecedented state investment since the Centenary, the building come back to the imaginary of Chilean people, becoming the first place assigned to receive the most different art expression and cultural activities, nationals and internationals, and with more than one million visitor by year.
On 2005 Santiago City Hall distinguished to Cultural Center with the seal “Patrimonio de la Ciudad” (Heritage of the City). Thanks to its agile, independent and self-financing management, this place has satisfied the cultural needs that a variety audience required. In 2009 all this work was recognized with the International prize Quenn Sofia in Heritage Management and Preservation.
The Cultural Center has 33 spaces 33 available to host activities for the general public, performing arts and visual arts.
History
At the beginning of XX Century, Chile was preparing to celebrate its first 100 years of independence, generating a national environment of great expectations, a feeling of civic maturity and an imperative need to show happiness in a jovially way.
Santiago was the main scenario of a social transformation produced by the peak of the saltpeter, the city needed a new train station and it was built in 1905 under the Government of the President Pedro Montt.
The Chilean arquitect, based in France, Emilio Jecquier gave the extraordinary beauty and the neoclassical style to Estación Mapocho. It was the seal of this place, the most important and with the best connectivity of the country.
Located in the historical Mapocho neighborhood, important business area and citizen meeting point, the train station open the horizon to Chilean people. From there it was possible to reach far places, cross the desert up to Iquique and to the borderline too, by trans-Andean train to reach Mendoza or Buenos Aires.
Thousand of people have the experience to travel, meet and say goodbye in the station, keep the image of this building in their memory for ever, now it is a part of their lives, history, collective or personal culture. In 1976 Estación Mapocho was declared National Monument. In 1987 the train station stopped to work and it was stayed in disuse and abandoned, until 1994.
.