Casa Ruiz Arteaga

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Architecture · Subcategory: Civil architecture · Year: 1860-70

This house located in the heart of Calle del Castillo is an example of the romantic classicism architecture of the second half of the 19th century in Santa Cruz. The façade is arranged with string-course openings and the floor plan revolves around a beautiful cloistered courtyard, with the entrance adorned with several decorative motifs of Pompeian tradition. The building was perhaps erected by a local master builder linked to the prevailing aesthetic of the time.

The house belonged to the wealthy businessman José Ruiz Arteaga, a merchant and owner of one of the city’s most important naval supplies warehouses, located at the entrance to the dock. Furthermore, this entrepreneur operated the famous Baños de Ruiz in the lower parts of these warehouses, dedicated to exploiting a section of the Delicias beach where swimming was practised and a good sea bath enjoyed. On the other hand, Ruiz was the first businessman to introduce iron materials for construction on the island, acting as the representative in Tenerife of the San Antonio foundry of Seville. He imported prefabricated pieces that became common in both public and domestic construction (columns, beams, etc.).

In 1893 José Ruiz Arteaga had an iron and glass lookout installed on his sober-looking house on Calle del Castillo to enclose the main balcony. This was a novelty in Santa Cruz at the time. Such was its success that from then on this solution became standard in some newly built buildings in the city’s best areas.

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