Gabinete Literario, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
The grand house of a learned society, its Modernista front crowned by two exotic domes over the old town.
At a glance
The Gabinete Literario faces the Plaza de Cairasco in the Triana quarter of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It is the home of the city’s oldest cultural society, founded in 1844, and one of the landmarks of Canarian Modernismo. The building grew over time, but its present main façade, with two towers crowned by domes, is the work of the architects Fernando Navarro and Rafael Massanet in the early twentieth century. It remains a meeting place and cultural venue, at the centre of the island’s artistic life.
Key facts
- Location: Plaza de Cairasco, Triana, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
- Architects of the façade: Fernando Navarro and Rafael Massanet
- Style: Canarian Modernismo with neoclassical elements
- Founded: the society dates from 1844
- Today: a cultural society and events venue
History
The Gabinete Literario was founded in 1844 as a society for the educated citizens of Las Palmas, the oldest such institution in the city. It took over a building on the Plaza de Cairasco, and over the following decades the house was enlarged and rebuilt to match the society’s growing ambitions.
At the turn of the twentieth century the building received the main façade it wears today, designed by the architects Fernando Navarro and Rafael Massanet. They gave it a Modernista front with neoclassical elements, framed by two corner towers crowned with domes, a flourish that announced the society’s place at the heart of the city.
The Gabinete has remained a cultural society ever since, hosting concerts, lectures and exhibitions. It stands as the emblem of Canarian Modernismo and of the cultural confidence of Las Palmas around 1900.
What you see
The front is composed around wide, generously glazed windows, with the decoration gathering into the two towers that frame the building. Each tower is topped by a domed crown of an almost exotic shape, an unexpected silhouette over the square that fixes the building in the memory.
The style mixes Modernista ornament with a neoclassical sense of order, the floral and the formal held in balance. Inside, the society keeps richly decorated halls used for its concerts and events, but it is the twin domed towers above the Plaza de Cairasco that make the Gabinete the showpiece of Modernista Las Palmas.
Practical information
- Open: a private society; halls open for events and on guided visits
- Cost: free to view the exterior; events vary
- Best for: the twin domed towers above the Plaza de Cairasco
- Time needed: 15 minutes
Getting there
The Gabinete Literario is on the Plaza de Cairasco in the Triana district of Las Palmas, a short walk from the Vegueta old town and the Catedral de Santa Ana.
Nearby
- Vegueta — the historic old town of Las Palmas with the cathedral
- Casa de Colón — the museum in the colonial heart of the city
- Teatro Pérez Galdós — the city’s grand theatre nearby
Sources
- Gabinete Literario (gabineteliterario.com) — architecture and history
- Cabildo de Gran Canaria / Patrimonio Histórico — el Gabinete Literario
- Wikimedia Commons — image source and licence
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