Disfruta Santiago –
A new cultural hub in Santiago, a place that seeks to highlight the Franklin neighborhood and open it to heritage tourism. We are talking about the renovated Persa Víctor Manuel, which with tours, urban art, and musical activities aims to make the neighborhood an unmissable spot in the capital. We spoke with Sebastián Cuevas, the architect in charge of leading this project.
1 – Tell us a little about the history of the Persa Víctor Manuel
The Persa Víctor Manuel is a historic building located in the Franklin neighborhood, specifically in the block bordered by Bio Bio, Víctor Manuel, Placer, and San Isidro streets. It dates back approximately to the early 20th century and was built to house a tannery and leather and footwear factory, Ayçaguer y Duhalde, connected with the Public Slaughterhouse (1847) and with the Huemul and Matadero neighborhoods.
The leather and footwear manufacturing activity continued until the 1970s, after the closure of the Public Slaughterhouse. At the beginning of the following decade, the factory shut down, giving way to the development of informal economic activity, which over time transformed into the Mercado Persa that currently operates in this building.
Today, with approximately 24,000 m², its spaces are distributed across two levels: 17,500 m² on the first floor and 6,500 m² on the second. The Persa has 6 warehouses and 8 sectors of great architectural quality and richness, inherited from the tradition of industrial architecture.
2 – How did the idea of turning it into a Cultural Hub of South Santiago come about?
In Santiago, cultural production spaces are mostly concentrated in the central and eastern sectors of the capital. Cultural recommendations and agendas on what to do in Santiago are centered in those areas. On the other hand, there are no spaces promoting popular culture connected to the demands of a more diverse audience.
Based on this observation, and considering the strategic location of the Persa Víctor Manuel in the southern sector of the capital (near the new Bío Bío metro station), our goal is to consolidate a cultural hub, enhancing the existing commerce and activities of the Franklin neighborhood. To achieve this, short, medium, and long-term actions are being carried out by a team led by the administration of the Persa Víctor Manuel.
3 – Which artists have currently intervened in the Persa?
The mural interventions were proposed by Mono González, a renowned Chilean muralist who has his gallery-workshop inside the Persa Víctor Manuel. The murals have been created by well-known artists, on the following streets:
Víctor Manuel Street: Agotok, Mono González, Oficio, Erico
Placer Street: Juanita Pérez, Saile, Aner, Paula Tikay, Sick, Inti
San Isidro Street: Daniel Marceli
Finally, Basco Vazko created a large mural called “Internet” on the vault of the roof of Warehouse 1, and most recently, the mural Borde Sur by the renowned artist Cekis was completed on the roof of the Persa. The goal of these murals is to consolidate an open and free urban art circuit within the Persa Víctor Manuel.
Calle Placer: Juanita Perez, Saile, Aner, Paula Tikay , Sick, Inti.
Cale San Isidro: Daniel Marceli
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4 – What is the remodeling project for these spaces about?
Currently, there are underutilized spaces inside the Persa. In particular, one warehouse will be adapted as a flexible space for cultural activities, along with an urban art gallery, where graphic works by urban artists — especially those who have intervened in the Persa — will be exhibited.
5 – Will the free tours take place every weekend?
The idea is to hold free tours every Sunday at 12:30 p.m. to visit the urban art works present in the Persa, with a special focus on the rooftop mural.
Here is a video about the creative process of the mural painted by Cekis at the Persa Víctor Manuel.
