Fernández Vera House

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Memory · Subcategory: Sites of memory · Year: 1677

On the former La Caleta street, now disappeared and which roughly followed the road layout of the current General Gutiérrez street, there were several domestic buildings of interest, all demolished due to the urban development of the new Santa Cruz in the mid-20th century.

One of these constructions, located on a ledge of this irregular street, was built in 1677 by Mateo Fernández Vera, priest of the church of La Concepción de Santa Cruz and qualifier of the Holy Office.

The house, which occupied a plot of another building erected in the 16th century, had a huge main façade featuring large tea wood windows carved in panels. A large wall of volcanic stone ashlar reinforced its northern corner. At the rear, the building faced the now disappeared Curva street.

Inside, a space twelve varas deep by eight wide formed a splendid and striking courtyard with open galleries above, supported by tall pillars and carved capitals. On one side, the east side, there was a large door carefully carved. At the back of this courtyard, a wide staircase with a first section of carved masonry in two flights gave access to the upper floors. This entire interior formed a set of regularity and harmony worthy of admiration.

It seems that from the windows of this house shots were mercilessly fired at the invading English troops of Nelson, landed under the command of Commodore Troubridge on the dawn of 25 July 1797, in their failed attempt to take Santa Cruz. We also know that in the 19th century, from 1856, the famous dance hall "La Aurora" was installed in this building, a place of recreation and entertainment for the Santa Cruz society of the time.

The Fernández Vera house disappeared in the mid-20th century, when the entire area of the city was redeveloped.

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