Agustín Ross Cultural Centre
Encyclopedia
The Agustín Ross Cultural Center , formerly known as the Ross Casino (Casino Ross), is the cultural center
of the city of Pichilemu
in O'Higgins Region
, Chile
. It was constructed between 1906 and 1909 at the request of politician Agustín Ross Edwards. The structure of the cultural center is very similar to that of the Grand Trianon
in Versailles
, France.
It is best known for housing one of the first casinos of Chile; one operated in the building between 1917 and 1931. After 1931 all casinos, except the newly opened Casino de Viña del Mar
, were declared illegal. The building has also been used as a post office
, a store selling imported goods, a hotel, a discotheque, and a bar. There were two attempts by the local government to purchase the building; the first time in 1982 failed while the second in 1995 succeeded. The former casino was declared a National Monument of Chile
along with the Agustín Ross Park
in February 1988.
Over time, the building deteriorated, and a project was approved in January 2007 for it to be renovated for use as a cultural center. The restored building opened in January 2009 and houses the local library. In January 2010, the cultural center was inaugurated by President Michelle Bachelet
and Mayor Roberto Córdova
.
an writer, member of parliament
, government minister
and politician. He reportedly had the dream of "creating a port which could be an alternative to the Valparaíso
port," but this would turn later into "creating a touristic place, an elite resort, collecting the most important characteristics of European places, which would make it unique."
For this purpose, Ross Edwards bought Fundo Pichilemu, a farm, from Juan Esteban Torrealba Maturana in 1885. There was a little hotel in Fundo Pichilemu called La Posada, which he converted into a first-class hotel called the Gran Hotel Pichilemu (now the Agustín Ross Hotel
). Following the development of the Gran Hotel Pichilemu, Ross Edwards saw the need of creating "a seaside resort with all the comforts and luxuries capable of seducing the Chilean aristocracy;" for this purpose, he conceived the idea of creating a park
, and a post-office building. Afterwards, Agustín Ross installed amenities such as a laundry, stables, and stairways, among others, according to Pichileminian historiographer José Arraño Acevedo
, turning Pichilemu into a summer resort town for affluent people from Santiago
and Mendoza, Argentina
.
, editor of Pichilemu News
, the construction of the building lasted from 1906 to 1909, while Jorge Godoy Rojas, architect of the University of Chile, states that it was built between 1904 and 1906. Ross wanted it to look similar to the Grand Trianon
of the Tuileries Palace
in Paris
, France
; he imported building materials and furniture from France
and England
. After its opening, the building included a post office with telegraph service and a store for imported goods, exclusive to clients of the Gran Hotel Pichilemu.
The National Monuments Council
asserts that the first casino in Chile was opened in the building in 1906; however, historiographers Antonio Saldías
and José Arraño Acevedo have pointed out that it was inaugurated as a de facto casino in the summer of 1917, after Agustín Ross rented the building to Argentinean businessman Alfredo Master. Saldías also noted that there were casinos in Chile before Agustín Ross's arrival in Pichilemu, in towns such as Constitución
. The casino operated until 1931, when the Casino de Viña del Mar, the first official casino of Chile, opened; all others were declared illegal. Ross died in 1925 at age of 82 in Viña del Mar, just months before "one of his greatest" dreams was accomplished: the railway from Palmilla
and the local railway station
.
businesswoman Carmelita Tello installed a boîte called Carmelita in the main room. Later, Pichileminian Roberto Álvarez decided to run a discotheque called Master in the same place, while at the same time, there was a grill bar called Wa-Na in another room; both businesses operated until the 1990s. The condition of the building gradually deteriorated, and its use became restricted.
During the administration of Mayor Julio Waidele Wolff (1981–1983), an attempt was made to buy the building with municipal funds; however, Waidele was not allowed to complete the purchase because the price of eight million pesos
(approximately US$
16,000) was "too high for the municipal budget, and would leave many things without financing." The building would finally be purchased in 1995 by Mayor Orlando Cornejo Bustamante with the support of the Pichilemu City Council
, then composed of Aldo Polanco Contreras, Jorge Vargas González
, Mario Bichón Cáceres, Mariano Polanco Galarce, and Raúl Tobar Pavez, for 30 million pesos (approximately US$60,000).
In 1987, after the re-inauguration of another work of Agustín Ross, the Ross Park
, a request was made to the National Monuments Council that both the park and the former casino be declared Monumentos Históricos
(National Monuments); they were so designated on 25 February 1988.
approved financing for a restoration design study. The study by the Department of Architecture of the Ministry of Public Works began in 2005 and lasted until mid–2006. Afterwards, on 15 December, Intendant of O'Higgins Region Héctor Leiva Polanco unveiled to the community of Pichilemu the design and announced that he would present a financing proposal during the next year to the Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Regional (National Fund of Regional Development). The project was approved on 23 January 2007; the budget, according to architect Jorge Godoy Rojas, was 513,125,000 pesos (US$1,026,250). On 12 June 2007, the budget was increased to accommodate additional restoration work, by 100 million pesos to 663,702,000 pesos (US$1,327,404).
On 14 February 2007, the Regional Secretary (Seremi) of the Ministry of Public Works, Beatriz Valenzuela, wrote in an article in the online newspaper
El Rancahuaso, "The current state of the historic monument is bad, because of the deterioration of the roof, which over the years has had permanently leaked water and humidity. This can be easily seen in the damaged wood of its inside enclosure and the great frame of the mansard roof
, which is of oak wood." Some months later, on 23 August, Valenzuela announced that the restoration of the building would begin that same day, after it was authorized by the Regional Government; the building would become a cultural center, housing the local public library and art galleries. The restoration work was the responsibility of development firm Atelier Consultores.
During the restoration of the casino, a number of historical items were found. Those included newspapers, specifically a copy of Las Últimas Noticias
from February 1941, during the time the building served as a hotel; a US telephone battery from 1909; and a tile from the casino's ceiling with signatures and drawings by casino workers in 1915.
. The center's inauguration was supposed to take place in March of that year, with President Michelle Bachelet Jeria in attendance; however, it was postponed until 27 January 2010. Bachelet toured the rooms of the cultural center with Mayor Roberto Córdova
, and later said that the center "[is] to merge itself with the origins of modern Pichilemu, restoring the facilities to do what is so necessary: to make room for the creativity, talent, imagination, dreams of so many young and many people."
After the earthquakes of 27 February
, and 11 March 2010
, the cultural center was "slightly" damaged. The balaustrades of both the northwest and southeast towers of the building fell down after the earthquakes; in the northwest tower, a pole broke; and there were some cracks and minor damage to the walls. Repairs took place in February 2011, with an investment of fourteen million pesos (US$28,000) by the government of Pichilemu.
of the city of Pichilemu, and its director as of 2011 is María Angélica Yáñez Cortés. The library was created on 16 May 1989, under the leadership of Mayor René Maturana Maldonado.
The library was previously located in a dedicated building on Santa María Avenue from 1989 until 16 January 2009, before relocating to the Agustín Ross Cultural Center. In September 2010, the library received a donation of 150 music and culture-related books with the help of Alejandra Domedel, the cultural center's communications and cultural management officer.
, sent a letter to the Pichilemu City Council
requesting the creation of the Corporación Cultural de Pichilemu (Pichilemu Cultural Corporation) for the third time.
In May 2009, municipal employee Jorge Torres Avaca reported that the Cultural Corporation had been approved by the City Council, and its constitution was to be drawn up on 2 June; it was approved on 11 June. Of the seven directors of the corporation, two are elected, two are appointed by the Pichilemu City Council, and another two by the regional or provincial government, and the mayor presides as the seventh member. Longtime Pichilemu resident sculptor Macarena Irarrázabal Correa and Professor Carlos Leyton Labarca, native of the nearby village of Ciruelos
and creator of the Museo del Niño Rural (Museum of the Rural Child), were elected.
Before the former casino building was completed, in 1908, Agustín Ross Edwards and Evaristo Merino reported to historiographer José Toribio Medina
the existence of indigenous remains in the cave now called the Gruta de la Virgen. Medina asked Argentinean ethnographer Félix Faustino Outes
to inspect the remains, and subsequently Medina wrote the book Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu
(The Indigenous Remains of Pichilemu), using the report Faustino Outes gave him.
American writer Trudy Larkin Forster
wrote the book Los Gatos del Casino: la Historia de Don Agustín Ross Edwards y la Brigada de los Gatos Negros (The Cats of the Casino: the History of Sir Agustín Ross Edwards and the Brigade of the Black Cats) in 1999. The book is set in Pichilemu
and the Agustín Ross Casino, and it was premiered in the Children's Book Fair of Santiago in June 1999, and then in the Agustín Ross Art Room (now inside the Agustín Ross Cultural Center) on 18 September of that year.
Cultural center
A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run...
of the city of Pichilemu
Pichilemu
Pichilemu , originally known as Pichilemo, is a beach resort city and commune in central Chile, and capital of Cardenal Caro Province. It is located southwest of Santiago, the capital of Chile, and comprises an urban center and twenty-three villages, such as Ciruelos, Cáhuil, and Espinillo...
in O'Higgins Region
O'Higgins Region
The VI O'Higgins Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It is subdivided into three provinces. It is named in honour of Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, one of Chile's founding fathers....
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. It was constructed between 1906 and 1909 at the request of politician Agustín Ross Edwards. The structure of the cultural center is very similar to that of the Grand Trianon
Grand Trianon
The Grand Trianon was built in the northwestern part of the Domain of Versailles at the request of Louis XIV, as a retreat for the King and his maîtresse en titre of the time, the marquise de Montespan, and as a place where the King and invited guests could take light meals away from the strict...
in Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
, France.
It is best known for housing one of the first casinos of Chile; one operated in the building between 1917 and 1931. After 1931 all casinos, except the newly opened Casino de Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar , is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Its long stretches of white sandy beaches are a major attraction for national and international tourists. The city is Chile's main tourist attraction. Known as "La Ciudad Jardín" , Viña del Mar is a Chilean Municipality located...
, were declared illegal. The building has also been used as a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, a store selling imported goods, a hotel, a discotheque, and a bar. There were two attempts by the local government to purchase the building; the first time in 1982 failed while the second in 1995 succeeded. The former casino was declared a National Monument of Chile
National Monuments of Chile
The National Monuments of Chile , also abbreviated MN, are the constructions, elements and places that form part of the country's cultural heritage, and they are protected by law...
along with the Agustín Ross Park
Agustín Ross Park
Agustín Ross Park is a park located in the Agustín Ross Avenue, in front of the old Ross Casino, in Pichilemu. It is a National Monument of Chile.The original park contains 100-year-old native Chilean palms and many green spaces...
in February 1988.
Over time, the building deteriorated, and a project was approved in January 2007 for it to be renovated for use as a cultural center. The restored building opened in January 2009 and houses the local library. In January 2010, the cultural center was inaugurated by President Michelle Bachelet
Michelle Bachelet
Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a Social Democrat politician who was President of Chile from 11 March 2006 to 11 March 2010. She was the first woman president of her country...
and Mayor Roberto Córdova
Roberto Córdova
Roberto del Carmen Córdova Carreño is a Chilean politician. Córdova worked as Councillor of Pichilemu between 2000 and December 2008, and again from May until September 2009, when he became mayor of the city....
.
1885–1906: The idea
Agustín Ross Edwards was a wealthy ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an writer, member of parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, government minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
and politician. He reportedly had the dream of "creating a port which could be an alternative to the Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
port," but this would turn later into "creating a touristic place, an elite resort, collecting the most important characteristics of European places, which would make it unique."
For this purpose, Ross Edwards bought Fundo Pichilemu, a farm, from Juan Esteban Torrealba Maturana in 1885. There was a little hotel in Fundo Pichilemu called La Posada, which he converted into a first-class hotel called the Gran Hotel Pichilemu (now the Agustín Ross Hotel
Agustín Ross Hotel
The Agustín Ross Park is an old hotel in the Chilean city of Pichilemu. It was created by Agustín Ross Edwards in 1885, and remodeled in December 1987....
). Following the development of the Gran Hotel Pichilemu, Ross Edwards saw the need of creating "a seaside resort with all the comforts and luxuries capable of seducing the Chilean aristocracy;" for this purpose, he conceived the idea of creating a park
Agustín Ross Park
Agustín Ross Park is a park located in the Agustín Ross Avenue, in front of the old Ross Casino, in Pichilemu. It is a National Monument of Chile.The original park contains 100-year-old native Chilean palms and many green spaces...
, and a post-office building. Afterwards, Agustín Ross installed amenities such as a laundry, stables, and stairways, among others, according to Pichileminian historiographer José Arraño Acevedo
José Arraño Acevedo
José Santos Arraño Acevedo was a Chilean writer and historian from Pichilemu, mostly known for his books on the city's history, such as Pichilemu y Sus Alrededores Turísticos.- Life :...
, turning Pichilemu into a summer resort town for affluent people from Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
and Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. As of the , Mendoza's population was 110,993...
.
1906–1930: Construction; the casino
According to Washington SaldíasWashington Saldías
Washington Ramón Saldías González is a Chilean politician. Saldías is also the executive editor of Pichilemu News.Saldías was elected Councillor of Pichilemu with 870 votes from a total of 6,352 votes in Chilean municipal election of 1996.-Biography:Saldías was born in Santiago, Chile on August...
, editor of Pichilemu News
Pichilemu News
Pichilemu News, or PichilemuNews.cl is a Chilean online newspaper based on Pichilemu. It was founded by Washington Saldías, former Councillor of Pichilemu, on January 14, 2000 as a sequel to Periódico Pichilemu .- History :Pichilemu News was founded on January 14, 2000 by Washington Saldías, former...
, the construction of the building lasted from 1906 to 1909, while Jorge Godoy Rojas, architect of the University of Chile, states that it was built between 1904 and 1906. Ross wanted it to look similar to the Grand Trianon
Grand Trianon
The Grand Trianon was built in the northwestern part of the Domain of Versailles at the request of Louis XIV, as a retreat for the King and his maîtresse en titre of the time, the marquise de Montespan, and as a place where the King and invited guests could take light meals away from the strict...
of the Tuileries Palace
Tuileries Palace
The Tuileries Palace was a royal palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine until 1871, when it was destroyed in the upheaval during the suppression of the Paris Commune...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; he imported building materials and furniture from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. After its opening, the building included a post office with telegraph service and a store for imported goods, exclusive to clients of the Gran Hotel Pichilemu.
The National Monuments Council
National Monuments Council
The National Monuments Council is a Chilean government agency dedicated to the preservation and upkeep of special natural and cultural sites in Chile. The National Monuments Council was created in 1925 by law Nº 17.288.-External links:*...
asserts that the first casino in Chile was opened in the building in 1906; however, historiographers Antonio Saldías
Antonio Saldías
Antonio Saldías González, also known as Don Antonio de Petrel is a Chilean researcher and writer.- Works :In 1990, Saldías published the book "Pichilemu, Mis Fuentes de Información"; in 1993, "Litueche, antes El Rosario"; in 1996, publishes the anthology "Pichilemu, Canto de Puetas", that included...
and José Arraño Acevedo have pointed out that it was inaugurated as a de facto casino in the summer of 1917, after Agustín Ross rented the building to Argentinean businessman Alfredo Master. Saldías also noted that there were casinos in Chile before Agustín Ross's arrival in Pichilemu, in towns such as Constitución
Constitución, Chile
Constitución is a seaside resort, industrial city, minor port and commune in Chile, located in the Maule Region, Talca Province.-History:-8.8 magnitude 2010 earthquake:...
. The casino operated until 1931, when the Casino de Viña del Mar, the first official casino of Chile, opened; all others were declared illegal. Ross died in 1925 at age of 82 in Viña del Mar, just months before "one of his greatest" dreams was accomplished: the railway from Palmilla
Palmilla
Palmilla is a Chilean city and commune in Colchagua Province, O'Higgins Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Palmilla spans an area of and has 11,200 inhabitants . Of these, 2,088 lived in urban areas and 9,112 in rural areas...
and the local railway station
Pichilemu railway station
Pichilemu railway station was a railway station in Pichilemu. It is a wood construction dated circa 1925, located in front of the Petrel Lake, near Daniel Ortúzar Avenue . It remained in operation until the 1990s, and became a National Monument on September 16, 1994. It has since become an arts...
.
1930–1995: The discotheques; the National Monument
After the casino closed, the building was mostly left unused until the 1940s, when the González Pérez family purchased it from Agustín Ross de Ferrari, a descendant of Ross Edwards. The family converted the building into a hotel, and in the late 1940s, the underground floor was remodeled and made a clandestine casino. Twenty years later, in the late 1960s, Gustavo González Pérez, then a pilot in the Chilean Air Force, along with another member of the Air Force, created an American-style discotheque called La Caverna (The Cavern) in the basement. Years later, González Pérez transferred the business to other members of his family, who renamed the discotheque Los Tijuana (The Tijuanas). Finally, the González Pérez family decided to close the discotheque in the late 1970s. Shortly afterwards, RancaguaRancagua
Rancagua is a city and commune in central Chile, part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It had a 2002 population of 214,344...
businesswoman Carmelita Tello installed a boîte called Carmelita in the main room. Later, Pichileminian Roberto Álvarez decided to run a discotheque called Master in the same place, while at the same time, there was a grill bar called Wa-Na in another room; both businesses operated until the 1990s. The condition of the building gradually deteriorated, and its use became restricted.
During the administration of Mayor Julio Waidele Wolff (1981–1983), an attempt was made to buy the building with municipal funds; however, Waidele was not allowed to complete the purchase because the price of eight million pesos
Chilean peso
The peso is the currency of Chile. The current peso has circulated since 1975, with a previous version circulating between 1817 and 1960. The symbol used locally for it is $. The ISO 4217 code for the present peso is CLP. It is subdivided into 100 centavos, although no centavo denominated coins...
(approximately US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
16,000) was "too high for the municipal budget, and would leave many things without financing." The building would finally be purchased in 1995 by Mayor Orlando Cornejo Bustamante with the support of the Pichilemu City Council
Pichilemu City Council
The Pichilemu City Council is the legislative body of the City of Pichilemu.-City Council:The City Council consists of seven members, including the Mayor. City council members and the Mayor are chosen by elections every 4 years...
, then composed of Aldo Polanco Contreras, Jorge Vargas González
Jorge Vargas González
Jorge Fabián Vargas González is a Chilean politician, singer, composer, and the mayor of Pichilemu from 1997 until 2007.- Biography :Jorge Vargas was born on February 8, 1967 in Pichilemu...
, Mario Bichón Cáceres, Mariano Polanco Galarce, and Raúl Tobar Pavez, for 30 million pesos (approximately US$60,000).
In 1987, after the re-inauguration of another work of Agustín Ross, the Ross Park
Agustín Ross Park
Agustín Ross Park is a park located in the Agustín Ross Avenue, in front of the old Ross Casino, in Pichilemu. It is a National Monument of Chile.The original park contains 100-year-old native Chilean palms and many green spaces...
, a request was made to the National Monuments Council that both the park and the former casino be declared Monumentos Históricos
National Monuments of Chile
The National Monuments of Chile , also abbreviated MN, are the constructions, elements and places that form part of the country's cultural heritage, and they are protected by law...
(National Monuments); they were so designated on 25 February 1988.
1995–2008: Restoration
After the former casino was purchased by the government of Pichilemu, the building was used to hold meetings, exhibitions of paintings, sculptures, theater, and for launching books. In 1997, the Club Aéreo de Pichilemu (Aero Club of Pichilemu) requested the building to host the fiftieth annual reunion of the Air Federation of Chile. Permission was granted, but the Club Aéreo had to purchase toilet fixtures, as the ones in the building were seriously damaged. This prompted the government of Mayor Jorge Vargas González (1996–2007) to begin restoring the deteriorated former casino, but it was not until 2004 that the Regional Government of O'Higgins RegionO'Higgins Region
The VI O'Higgins Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It is subdivided into three provinces. It is named in honour of Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, one of Chile's founding fathers....
approved financing for a restoration design study. The study by the Department of Architecture of the Ministry of Public Works began in 2005 and lasted until mid–2006. Afterwards, on 15 December, Intendant of O'Higgins Region Héctor Leiva Polanco unveiled to the community of Pichilemu the design and announced that he would present a financing proposal during the next year to the Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Regional (National Fund of Regional Development). The project was approved on 23 January 2007; the budget, according to architect Jorge Godoy Rojas, was 513,125,000 pesos (US$1,026,250). On 12 June 2007, the budget was increased to accommodate additional restoration work, by 100 million pesos to 663,702,000 pesos (US$1,327,404).
On 14 February 2007, the Regional Secretary (Seremi) of the Ministry of Public Works, Beatriz Valenzuela, wrote in an article in the online newspaper
Online newspaper
An online newspaper, also known as a web newspaper, is a newspaper that exists on the World Wide Web or Internet, either separately or as an online version of a printed periodical....
El Rancahuaso, "The current state of the historic monument is bad, because of the deterioration of the roof, which over the years has had permanently leaked water and humidity. This can be easily seen in the damaged wood of its inside enclosure and the great frame of the mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
, which is of oak wood." Some months later, on 23 August, Valenzuela announced that the restoration of the building would begin that same day, after it was authorized by the Regional Government; the building would become a cultural center, housing the local public library and art galleries. The restoration work was the responsibility of development firm Atelier Consultores.
During the restoration of the casino, a number of historical items were found. Those included newspapers, specifically a copy of Las Últimas Noticias
Las Últimas Noticias
Las Últimas Noticias is a Chilean, daily middle market tabloid newspaper owned by El Mercurio SAP....
from February 1941, during the time the building served as a hotel; a US telephone battery from 1909; and a tile from the casino's ceiling with signatures and drawings by casino workers in 1915.
2009–present: Cultural center
The completely restored building opened on 23 January 2009, one hundred years after its original construction. An exhibition of photographs by Ana María Encina Lemarchand was the first to be staged in the restored building. In June 2009, a non-political organization called the Corporación Cultural de Pichilemu (Pichilemu Cultural Corporation) was formed to manage the cultural center, in coordination with the local governmentGovernment of Pichilemu
The Government of Pichilemu comprises the Mayor of Pichilemu and Pichilemu City Council. They are housed within Pichilemu town hall.-Mayor of Pichilemu:The Mayor of Pichilemu is elected every 4 years...
. The center's inauguration was supposed to take place in March of that year, with President Michelle Bachelet Jeria in attendance; however, it was postponed until 27 January 2010. Bachelet toured the rooms of the cultural center with Mayor Roberto Córdova
Roberto Córdova
Roberto del Carmen Córdova Carreño is a Chilean politician. Córdova worked as Councillor of Pichilemu between 2000 and December 2008, and again from May until September 2009, when he became mayor of the city....
, and later said that the center "[is] to merge itself with the origins of modern Pichilemu, restoring the facilities to do what is so necessary: to make room for the creativity, talent, imagination, dreams of so many young and many people."
After the earthquakes of 27 February
2010 Chile earthquake
The 2010 Chile earthquake occurred off the coast of central Chile on Saturday, 27 February 2010, at 03:34 local time , having a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, with intense shaking lasting for about three minutes. It ranks as the sixth largest earthquake ever to be recorded by a...
, and 11 March 2010
2010 Pichilemu earthquake
The 2010 Pichilemu earthquake , also known as the Libertador O'Higgins earthquake, was a 6.9 MW earthquake that struck Chile's O'Higgins Region on 11 March 2010 at 11:39 local time...
, the cultural center was "slightly" damaged. The balaustrades of both the northwest and southeast towers of the building fell down after the earthquakes; in the northwest tower, a pole broke; and there were some cracks and minor damage to the walls. Repairs took place in February 2011, with an investment of fourteen million pesos (US$28,000) by the government of Pichilemu.
Organization
The Agustín Ross Cultural Center houses the local public library, and has four exhibition rooms, an auditorium, a music room, and several other rooms in which workshops take place for yoga, acrobatics, theatre, and other disciplines for people of all ages. The restoration of the cultural centre prompted the creation of an independent organization called the Corporación Cultural de Pichilemu (Pichilemu Cultural Corporation).Public library
The Biblioteca Pública de Pichilemu (Public Library of Pichilemu) is the public libraryPublic library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
of the city of Pichilemu, and its director as of 2011 is María Angélica Yáñez Cortés. The library was created on 16 May 1989, under the leadership of Mayor René Maturana Maldonado.
The library was previously located in a dedicated building on Santa María Avenue from 1989 until 16 January 2009, before relocating to the Agustín Ross Cultural Center. In September 2010, the library received a donation of 150 music and culture-related books with the help of Alejandra Domedel, the cultural center's communications and cultural management officer.
Pichilemu Cultural Corporation
Jorge Godoy Rojas, architect of the University of Chile, suggested in an January 2007 article he wrote for the online newspaper El Cachapoal that a semi-autonomous legal entity be set up for the management of the cultural center. Such a legal entity had also been suggested to the authorities previously by local cultural organizations for several years, but they had been largely ignored. On 20 November 2008, fourteen local organizations, including the Tourism Chamber of Pichilemu, the Agrupación Ciudadana por un Pichilemu Limpio (Citizens Group for a Clean Pichilemu), and Canal 3 PichilemuCanal 3 Pichilemu
Canal 3 Pichilemu is a Chilean TV channel, with its headquarters located in Pichilemu, O'Higgins Region.The channel was created in 2000, and its current director is Yovanny Moraga...
, sent a letter to the Pichilemu City Council
Pichilemu City Council
The Pichilemu City Council is the legislative body of the City of Pichilemu.-City Council:The City Council consists of seven members, including the Mayor. City council members and the Mayor are chosen by elections every 4 years...
requesting the creation of the Corporación Cultural de Pichilemu (Pichilemu Cultural Corporation) for the third time.
In May 2009, municipal employee Jorge Torres Avaca reported that the Cultural Corporation had been approved by the City Council, and its constitution was to be drawn up on 2 June; it was approved on 11 June. Of the seven directors of the corporation, two are elected, two are appointed by the Pichilemu City Council, and another two by the regional or provincial government, and the mayor presides as the seventh member. Longtime Pichilemu resident sculptor Macarena Irarrázabal Correa and Professor Carlos Leyton Labarca, native of the nearby village of Ciruelos
Ciruelos
Ciruelos is a Chilean village located southeast of Pichilemu, Cardenal Caro Province. As of 1899, it had very few inhabitants, a free school, and a post office.-References:...
and creator of the Museo del Niño Rural (Museum of the Rural Child), were elected.
In popular culture
There is a popular myth surrounding the former casino which tells of "underground caves" between the Gruta de la Virgen (also known as the Gruta de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes; Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes) and the building, crossing Agustín Ross Park. During the restoration of the building, in December 2007, it was reported that "two great walls constructed with flagstone, very wide and very close together" were found, but nothing was confirmed afterwards.Before the former casino building was completed, in 1908, Agustín Ross Edwards and Evaristo Merino reported to historiographer José Toribio Medina
José Toribio Medina
José Toribio Medina Zavala was a Chilean bibliographer, prolific writer, and historian. He was of Basque descent.-Biography:...
the existence of indigenous remains in the cave now called the Gruta de la Virgen. Medina asked Argentinean ethnographer Félix Faustino Outes
Félix Faustino Outes
Félix Faustino Outes was an Argentine anthropologist, archeologist and linguist.- Biography :Outes was born in Buenos Aires, and was educated at the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires and the University of Buenos Aires, graduating with a medical degree in 1899...
to inspect the remains, and subsequently Medina wrote the book Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu
Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu
Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu was a 1908 book published by Chilean historiographer José Toribio Medina.Medina presents a report of his examination to indigenous rests found in a Pichilemu grotto by Agustín Ross and Evaristo Merino in 1908...
(The Indigenous Remains of Pichilemu), using the report Faustino Outes gave him.
American writer Trudy Larkin Forster
Trudy Larkin Forster
Trudy Larkin Forster was an American writer, known for her book "Los Gatos del Casino", set in Pichilemu and Agustín Ross Casino.-Biography:...
wrote the book Los Gatos del Casino: la Historia de Don Agustín Ross Edwards y la Brigada de los Gatos Negros (The Cats of the Casino: the History of Sir Agustín Ross Edwards and the Brigade of the Black Cats) in 1999. The book is set in Pichilemu
Pichilemu
Pichilemu , originally known as Pichilemo, is a beach resort city and commune in central Chile, and capital of Cardenal Caro Province. It is located southwest of Santiago, the capital of Chile, and comprises an urban center and twenty-three villages, such as Ciruelos, Cáhuil, and Espinillo...
and the Agustín Ross Casino, and it was premiered in the Children's Book Fair of Santiago in June 1999, and then in the Agustín Ross Art Room (now inside the Agustín Ross Cultural Center) on 18 September of that year.
External links
- Centro Cultural Ex Casino Ross in Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes
- Biblioteca de Pichilemu 244 BC1