San Fernando Public School

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Architecture · Subcategory: Civil architecture · Year: 1932 · Authors: Rodrigo Poggio Lobón

The great boost in the sector of official public works during the Primo de Rivera dictatorship was felt in Santa Cruz de Tenerife with the construction of three large school centres (San Fernando, Isabel la Católica and the later named José Antonio) in different neighbourhoods of the capital.

The San Fernando school was established in the Duggi neighbourhood, a place that had been growing since the mid-19th century. In 1926 the City Council acquired a large plot in the upper part of the neighbourhood for the construction of the school. The project was the work of the architect of the Ministry of Public Instruction in Madrid, Rodrigo Poggio Lobón, with the plans submitted for approval at the end of 1927.

The building was designed to house two graded schools (one for girls and one for boys), with six units each, as well as dedicating a large space to a playground and sports facilities. The whole complex was set above the level of the surrounding streets. A public square was created in front of the facility. Construction began in 1929 under the direction of the local architect Pelayo López and Martín Romero, and was completed in 1932. 

San Fernando school is a very complete complex due to its capacity and volume. Built in a style prior to rationalism, its austerity, balance and harmony make it a work of notable architectural quality. It has a very suggestive plastic component, both for its adaptation to the terrain where it is located and for the sober combination of its different materials. The window mullions and the exposed brick arcades should be highlighted. It is a pity that later on a new module was built in the playground whose figurative and linguistic disconnection breaks the harmony of the original fabric.

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