Galdosian Route: 10. calle Pérez Galdós

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Category: Routes · Subcategory: Galdosian route

Popular memory is still treating the figure of Benito Pérez Galdós quite unfairly, to the point that they tried to steal his name from calle Pérez Galdós in favour of his brother Ignacio (1835-1905), who had been Canary Captain General.

In Las Palmas y Don Benito, un afecto mutuo, Juan Rodríguez Drincourt laid to rest the matter of including the faithful testimony of the minutes book at the Town Hall:

«On 5th October 1883 they held a municipal plenary meeting... On the agenda was the epigraph which is transcribed literally, as was the agreement reached: City Policía . The naming of the extension of the street of San Francisco, calling it Pérez Galdós. Taking into consideration the fact that the Excellent Municipality does not presently have a name for new extension for calle San Francisco, a new name must be chosen quickly and unanimously for the link road to the North Road, which is to be called Pérez Galdós, in honour of the eminent novelist, son of Las Palmas and the pride of national literature.»

It came about in the 19th century following the demolition of the San Bernardo convent, the largest one to have existed in the Canaries. This alleyway leading to Bravo Murillo, known as the "Prolongation of San Francisco", took the name of calle Pérez Galdós in 1883, by unanimous decision by the Municipal Plenary. This was the site for the first Pérez Galdós Secondary School, until it was built along calle Juan de Quesada.

Among the most emblematic buildings along calle Pérez Galdós are the Cabildo Insular Government Building, the recently demolished CIC building, the Rodríguez Quetgles Palace, the church of Los Franciscanos and the Tomás Morales house museum.

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