Casa Marcionelli

The Casa Marcionelli was a historical residential and commercial building located near San Martín Plaza, in Lima. The 3-story building was destroyed in 2023 by a fire during a series of protests in its immediate surroundings.[1][2] The building was named after its first owner, Severino Marcionelli.[2][3]

Casa Marcionelli
Casona Marcionelli, Edificio Marcionelli
The building (centre left) behind the equestrian statue of San Martín Plaza in 1941
General information
StatusDestroyed
Architectural styleColonial Revival (Neocolonial)
LocationHistoric Centre of Lima
AddressJr. Carabaya 955
Completed1923
DestroyedJanuary 19–20, 2023

History

The building's area was bought by Italian Swiss businessman and philanthropist Severino Marcionelli (Bironico, 1869 – Lima, 1957), originally from Ticino,[2][3] alongside his business partner, José Di Luka Hanza Pericevic, originally from Cannosa, Dalmatia.[4] Marcionelli, who emigrated to Peru in 1890,[5] was a mining entrepreneur who owned mines in southern Peru, had previously participated in the construction of the high-altitude Galera railway tunnel in Ticlio, and had also ventured into the country's agricultural sector.[2][5] He also helped establish and was an important member of local organizations, such as the Club de la Unión or the Peruvian chapter of Pro Ticino, a diaspora organization for Ticinese Swiss in Peru, becoming an important member of the diaspora.[3][6][7]

The building, built in the 1920s, originally housed Marcionelli's mining company's offices.[2] Marcionelli himself served as honorary consul as the building also began to house the Consulate general of Switzerland in Lima until the late 1940s, when the consulate was elevated to a legation.[2][3][6][8] The current location of the Swiss embassy in Lima also belonged to Marcionelli.[7]

Fire

A fire began on the night of January 19, 2023, amid anti-government protests in its immediate surroundings and in the nearby San Martín Plaza. The fire was classified as a Code 3, i.e. out of control, later escalating to a Code 4, i.e. an unsalvageable fire or a "local tragedy".[9][10] The building's façade gradually collapsed in the night of the 19th and early morning of the 20th, with only parts of the first floor surviving.[7] Firefighters reportedly had problems with fire hydrants and were thus unable to properly stop the fire for hours.[11] At the time of the fire, the house had been recently restored for the rental of its spaces in artistic exhibitions and to be used as a hostal.[11] One person was evacuated to a nearby hospital and two people were treated for smoke inhalation as a result of the fire.[12] All of the building's inhabitants were evacuated but were left homeless.[13][14]

Tear gas canisters deployed by police forces were pointed out by protestors as a possible source of the fire, but statements by authorities such as Interior Minister Vicente Romero Fernández pointed out that such a claim was false, as said devices cannot cause fires.[15] The cause of the fire is still under investigation.[16]

A security camera from the Municipality of Lima recorded the moment in which the protesters launched fireworks near the house; the residents of the place declared to the press that an explosion was heard before the incident.[17]

See also

References
  1. "La jornada de la "toma de Lima" termina con enfrentamientos y el incendio en un edificio en el centro histórico de la capital peruana". BBC Mundo. 2023-01-20.
  2. Llerena, Paula; Pacheco Ibarra, Juan José (2023-01-20). "¿Cuál es la historia detrás de la casona que se quemó y derrumbó durante las protestas en Lima?". Trome.
  3. "Severino Marcionelli (1869-1957)". Repubblica e Cantone Ticino.
  4. "Perú, matrimonios, 1600-1940", database, FamilySearch (Ark:/61903/1:1:FN1P-TKD : 8 February 2020), Jose L. Hanza, 1899.
  5. "Casa Marcionelli, la historia que oculta la casona incendiada en la 'Toma de Lima'". Infobae. 2020-01-20.
  6. "Pro Ticino, un pedazo de Suiza en el Perú". Swissinfo. 2007-05-03.
  7. Batalla, Carlos (2023-01-20). "Edificio Marcionelli: ¿quién era el dueño del edificio incendiado cerca de la plaza San Martín durante las protestas?". El Comercio.
  8. Gerardi, Dario (2011-01-11). "Pérou". Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse DHS.
  9. "Fachada de edificio cercano a la Plaza San Martín se derrumba tras incendio de Código 4". RPP Noticias. 2023-01-19.
  10. "Incendio en el Centro de Lima: Imágenes de como empezó el siniestro cerca de la Plaza San Martín". Gestión. 2023-01-20.
  11. Trelles, Jahir (2023-01-20). "¿Cómo lucía la casona antes de ser incendiada en las manifestaciones?". InfoMercado.
  12. "Incendio en el Centro de Lima fue confinado en horas de la madrugada". Andina. 2023-01-20.
  13. "Damnificados de edificio incendiado en la Plaza San Martín claman ayuda: lo perdieron todo y durmieron en la calle". Infobae. 2023-01-20.
  14. "Bomberos continúan trabajos en edificio Marcionelli: así quedó la casona del Centro de Lima". La República. 2023-01-20.
  15. "Protestas en Lima causaron daños valorizados en 800 mil soles, según la MML". RPP Noticias. 2023-01-20.
  16. "Ministro del Interior descarta que bomba lacrimógena haya ocasionado incendio en Lima". Andina. 2023-01-20.
  17. "Voraz incendio en Jr. Carabaya paraliza protestas momentáneamente en Centro de Lima". Ojo. 2023-01-19.

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