Imeldo Serís Teaching Institution

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Architecture · Subcategory: Civil architecture · Year: 1909 · Authors: Manuel de Cámara

Imeldo Serís-Granier y Blanco, Marquess of Villasegura, was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on 29 August 1849. A Naval Officer, he was appointed in 1882 Gentleman of the Chamber with duties, holding important positions in the Court of Isabel II and her son Alfonso XII, becoming head of his Royal Household and private secretary to the queen herself. In 1894 he was elected senator for the Canary Islands and in 1896 deputy to the Cortes for Tenerife. He was involved in granting Santa Cruz the title of Muy Benéfica (award for civic behaviour during the 1893 cholera epidemic) and strongly supported the installation of the first tram in Tenerife, inaugurated in 1901. He died in Madrid in 1904 and in his will left his city, in addition to art and bibliographic objects, one hundred and fifty thousand pesetas for the construction and endowment of a building intended as a charitable institute or teaching institution (whichever was deemed most necessary) which should bear his name, with the City Council responsible for providing the necessary land.

After several proposals, the Corporation decided to locate the new building on a large plot situated on the then newly inaugurated Avenida 25 de Julio, in the heart of the Hoteles neighbourhood. The project was designed by architect Manuel de Cámara, a personal friend of Serís. Construction began in 1909. 

The complex is framed within the architectural model derived from the Second Empire style, so recurrent for representative buildings at that time. We are faced with an imposing façade formed by three raised bodies, one in the centre and two at the ends. The reliefs of the lateral medallions of Agustín Bethencourt y Molina and José Viera y Clavijo stand out, as well as other decorative elements made by Eduardo Tarquis. The central medallion with the effigy of Imeldo Serís himself has been lost and never replaced, nor were the sculptures of Science and the Arts for which the niches were intended ever made. Years later, an additional floor was added to the building above the parapet of the roof terrace.

Inside, the ground floor contains, in addition to the lobby, classrooms for teaching; while the upper floor has three large rooms that were intended to house a museum, library and assembly hall. 

Over the years this building has housed the Official Nautical School, Higher School of Commerce, Provincial Historical Archive and Local Police Academy, among other uses. It currently houses a study room dependent on the University of La Laguna.

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