City at the Center of the World: Space, History, and Modernity in Quito

5. The Durini Cosmopolis: Crafting a Hyphenated Vernacular Architecture

115 Chapter 5 The Durini Cosmopolis Crafting a Hyphenated Vernacular Architecture In an undated photograph, attributed only to “Pazmiño” (fig. 5.1), a mustachioed man attired in a dark suit and straw boater, brandishing a cane, poses in profile, gazing past two similarly clad figures deep in conversation a few feet ahead of him. In his hands is a small parcel, wrapped in white paper, which suggests that he has just emerged from the great arcade beyond. The majestic arch rising above him provides a window into this grand commercial space filled with bustling shoppers illuminated by the sunshine streaming through the vaulted glass-and-iron roof. A police officer and his daughter animatedly focus on the shops beneath the sumptuous three-story colonnade that frames the hall. A middle-aged man in black homburg and rumpled suit clutches his own package near a women’s clothing store, perhaps deliberating over the Edwardian costume of a mannequin by the door. Many simply stroll, ignoring the camera. Not so a lad immaculately dressed in knickers and eight-quarter cap halfway down the hall; he stares, transfixed. Even more intrigued are the several porters loitering near the entryway, ready in an instant to help a gentleman or lady whose purchase might be too large to carry home unassisted. Two in decent attire lean jauntily against the pillars of the great arch; however, tucked behind those col- 116 \ The Durini Cosmopolis umns on the left, a shabbier pair—including a poncho-clad Indian—is almost invisible in the fading light. One can almost hear the photographer ordering them to move out of the frame. After all, this was to be a portrait of the Pasaje Royal, the triumphant masterpiece of Swiss-Italian émigré Francisco Durini Cáceres, and the one-time center of Quito chic. Like few other buildings in Quito, Durini’s passage (1912–1914) articulated a scenography of modernity and consumption located a scant block from the Fig.5.1.PasajeRoyal,Quito(early1920s).CourtesyArchivoHistórico,BancoCentraldelEcuador. 117 / The Durini Cosmopolis Plaza Grande, the heart of the colonial city and home to state and city bureaucrats . Customers strolled on a mosaic constructed of North American ceramic tile en route to the central landing, which boasted gardens, a marble fountain, and a kitschy mural of Venus alighting upon a veranda in the Italian countryside . The doors nestled in the delicate colonnades were themselves elegant confections crafted from luxury woods prepared in Durini’s own workshop and outlined in shimmering copper trim. The display cases and counters inside the shops echoed this décor, while the lighting fixtures featured stripped copper reminiscent of the Secessionist stirrings that had invaded Vienna, Prague, and Turin over the previous decade. These stores boasted imported fashions, haberdashery , and eyeglasses straight from Hamburg and London. After a busy afternoon shopping, businessmen, socialites, or dandies could relax by sampling the Gallic delicacies of the Pasaje Royal restaurant (whose menu was even printed in French) or taking in an evening of theater, dance, or cinema at the Teatro Eden.1 Some even went so far as to relocate to the building’s spacious apartments on the third floor while the city’s best firms rented berths down the hall. One of those companies was that of the building architect himself, whose offices overlooked Venezuela Street from the central archway. Like his grandiose structure, Francisco Durini Cáceres profited from an aura of consummate modernity. Along with his father, Lorenzo, and brother Pedro, Durini built the largest architectural concern in the capital at least partially based upon their ability to promote a worldly image of European gallantry coupled with exquisite technical expertise. This persona afforded the Durinis their first commissions; however, the firm’s lasting power rested upon Francisco’s ability to integrate himself and his architecture into the cultural sphere of his adopted home. The Pasaje Royal epitomizes these two characteristics: not only did it afford elites an opportunity to perform cosmopolitanism a lo italiano but it also reflected Francisco’s personal ties, as the site belonged to the Palacios family, who happened to be the architect’s in-laws. Later works continued to reap the rewards of personal connections but also introduced a search for an Andean vernacular modernism. This transition reflected Francisco’s developing hybridity, which advanced without eliminating his Old World élan. As such, the Durini oeuvre can be viewed as an attempt to link...