WHAT TO SEE
Antonio Basagoiti – Route around the avenue Avenida Basagoiti
Photograph on loan from Getxoko Liburutegiak - Getxo Municipal Libraries
Antonio Basagoiti represents a generation of bold young men who sailed across the ocean and used their talent to build veritable business empires. In time, many of them returned here, to the land of their birth.
The avenue Avenida Basagoiti is the backbone of this route, and it is named after our protagonist.
Stroll along this pedestrian promenade and find out about the people that once lived in the buildings around you, beginning with the Town Hall. You will also be able to enjoy looking at houses built by indianos (people who made their fortunes in the Americas), seafarers, and fishermen; with highlights being the Casa Encantada (Haunted House) and our protagonist’s family home. On your way, you will enjoy some of Getxo’s most idyllic vantage points. Finally, you will come to the end of the route in the square Plaza San Nicolás.
As you walk along, and beside delving into Getxo’s history... take this opportunity to taste the food and drink on offer and feel part of the special atmosphere along this avenue!
ANTONIO BASAGOITI (1849- 1933)
Born in the Old Port - Puerto Viejo de Algorta, Antonio Basagoiti Arteta was the patriarch of a dynasty of entrepreneurs and politicians that has stretched down to the present day.
As a very young man, he sought fame and fortune in Mexico. He started off there as an import trader, rising up to become a banker. His capacity for work and his special gift with people enabled him to make contacts among industrialists who would in time become his partners when he set up -and presided over- the now defunct bank Banco Hispano Americano, his life’s culminating achievement.
Antonio Basagoiti interceded with the ministry to stop the project proposed by Public Works in Vizcaya (Bizkaia) that would have destroyed part of the coastline in Getxo, pleading in favour of the project drawn up by Evaristo de Churruca. In 1899, and to show its gratitude for the part he played, Getxo Town Hall named the former Calle Mayor after him.
1. Villa Eguzki Aurre (1928).
It has a small garden, an L-shaped layout, and a mansard roof. A single-family building in a Neo-Basque style (reflecting the appearance of a traditional farmhouse, the caserío). Designed by Manuel Galindez.
2. El Bocho – Alboran House (1928).
Also designed by Manuel Galindez, it is built along the lines of a stately home: it is asymmetric, and has Neo-Baroque ornamental features within a Neo-Basque regionalist contexte.
3. San Ignacio Palace (1902).
Built by the architect José Mª Basterra, it is one of the few nineteenth-century style buildings in Getxo. Today, it houses the offices of the Basque Autonomous Police - Ertzaintza.
4. Santa Clara Palace (1902, 1918).
Built by the architect José Mª Basterra, it is one of the few nineteenth-century style buildings in Getxo. Today, it houses the offices of the Basque Autonomous Police - Ertzaintza.
5. Palacio Municipal/Town Hall (1921-1929).
Begun by Fidel Iturria and completed by Ignacio Smith, it has been the Town Hall since 1929. It is a reinterpretation of a Basque Baroque palace.
6. Agirre House (1914, 1960).
This building corresponds to the architect Diego Basterra Berastegui. It was home to the Basque Government’s first president, the Lehendakari, José Antonio Agirre Lekube, as commemorated by a plaque mounted on the facade.
7. Ate Gorri House (1894, 2010).
Built by José Bilbao Lopetegui for a shipbuilder from Algorta called Francisco Aldecoa Uriarte, who also features in the next three stops.
8. Miralores House (1870, 1877, 1905, 1915).
By an unknown architect, it was subsequently renovated by José Bilbao and Manuel Camarón. It maintains its original design as an example of Late-Neoclassical Algorta housingo.
9. Villa Leonor (1910, 1923, 1968).
Its current appearance corresponds to the renovation carried out by Ángel Líbano in 1968, who managed to preserve the English-style air given to it by José Bilbao and Rafael de Garamendi.
10. Tenement block (1923, 1928).
This building (consisting of a twin villa and block of flats) combines all the architectural styles of the time. Designed by Rafael de Garamendi.
11. Church San Ignacio de Loyola (1892, 1925)
Neo-Romanesque church designed by Narciso Goiri and extended by Rafael Fontán. A key landmark in the surrounding urban landscape.
12. Etxe Zuria/White House (1866, 1947, 1961).
By an unknown architect, it was redesigned with the addition of another floor with a bare brick façade, a common feature on the buildings along this avenue.
13. Albegi House – Aranzadi House (1866, 1909, 1958).
One of the first summer houses in the area. Designed by Atanasio Anduiza Uribarri, with alterations by Manuel Mª Smith and Eugenio Aguinaga.
14. Villa Eugenia – Sangroniz House (1897, 2010).
Built by Francisco Ciriaco Menchaca, it has been renovated in the 21st century. It features original decorative motifs using local stone on the façade and gable end.
15. Casa Encantada (Haunted house) - Malo Molina House (1898).
It is considered Francisco Ciriaco Menchaca’s masterpiece, combining features of French Baroque, Classicism and Colonial architecture.
16. Itsas Luze House (1955).
Built by Luis Mª Gana Hoyos on a commission from Abdón Merladet Sarria, an industrialist in the metal sector, as shown by the family coat of arms on the facade.
17. Villa Numancia (1866, 1906)
Tenement block designed by Ciriaco Menchaca, with interesting architectural features: its wooden and stone bay windows and the finish on the roof.
18. Bella Mar House (1901, 1947).
Designed by Mario Camiña (and renovated by Anastasio Arguinzoniz), it has a French-style air, with a highlight being its two curved bodies. It is also known as Berreteaga House.
19. Uriarte House (1884, 1990).
Designed by Ciriaco Menchaca, it occupies a privileged position beside the park of María Cristina. It preserves some of its original ornamental features.
20. Basagoiti House (1883, 1905, 1933).
Purchased by Antonio Basagoiti, the building we can now see was designed by Antonio Araluce, and has a palatial-style Basque regionalist appearance.
21. Algorta Casino (1878, 1905, 1928).
A witness to local social life. Its characteristic gently curving gallery is the result of an alteration made by Antonio Araluce.
22. Onena House (1905).
Designed by Domingo Fort y Barrenechea, a highlight is the dome on the facade, as well as its "urban" air within its Algorta setting.
23. Iturrieta House – Mantequena House (1889, 1908, 1927).
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¿Ganas de saber más?:
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