Houses in El Toscal for the Sociedad Constructora El Progreso

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Architecture · Subcategory: Civil architecture · Year: 1895 · Authors: Antonio Pintor y Ocete

The Sociedad de Construcciones Económicas El Progreso was founded in 1894 with the intention of intervening in the urban development business in Santa Cruz with a different approach from that which existed at the time. Its goal, between philanthropic and commercial, was to carry out new promotions of affordable housing in the city's most popular neighbourhoods (Toscal, Duggi, Salamanca, etc.), as an alternative to overcrowding and the poor health conditions of the citadels, a residential space of very low quality occupied by the lowest class of society.    

The Constructora El Progreso offered modest new owners the possibility of paying for the house in instalments, as if it were rent, until the amount equivalent to the total cost of the property was satisfied. 

In 1894, the company commissioned the architect Antonio Pintor to build no less than seventeen houses for the El Toscal neighbourhood, specifically on Santiago and San Martín streets.

In 1895, the first three were built, following the guidelines of modest domestic architecture of the time: floors that follow the traditional Canarian model, with rooms at the front, no more than three, (entrance hall, living room, and bedroom), and a small central courtyard inside that distributes the rooms. The façades, sparse in decoration (wood and railings), are defined by the regularity of openings, plinth, and cornice, which leads to the enclosure of the rooftops. 

The imprint left by this type of construction was fundamental for the development of the El Toscal neighbourhood, becoming the common construction model for decades in this area, both for its functionality and its low cost. 

Today, many of these houses have been renovated and are in good use, maintaining the original appearance of the neighbourhood, although others are in absolute ruin.

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