The Spanish Neo-Colonial Architecture: The Other Western Architectural Option to Build Modernity

Abstract

The text addresses the study of a modern architectural trend, professionally developed in parallel to the iconic Modern Movement, especially in the period 1910–1950, which defended the Spanish neocolonial style as a hallmark of the Latin American and Hispanic world. This will show that despite its more picturesque and clearly classic and formal appearance, the Spanish neocolonial architecture of the first half of the 20th century, also known as Californian, Missionary or Mediterranean, highlighted its modernity based on well-defined features: compositional freedom, modern floor plants and some other spatial aspects, inherited from the functional architecture commonly found in western civilization, namely in Britain and the US. The study of the temporal context of the avant-garde movement from a plural perspective of great dimensions due to its intercontinental character and in particular of this architectural framework would allow delving deeper into the historiography of architecture and completing the historical account of 20th century architecture. The comparison of approaches and projects, from the Neo-colonial to the Modern Movement, at distributive and functional levels, shows that they do not detract from the validity of many avant-garde project solutions, enshrined in historiography. Unfortunately and most certainly due to an attitude that rejects eclectic and picturesque styles, no in-depth studies have been conducted or solutions of great interest published. Arrangements in floor plan section of this type of architecture have not been disclosed either, therefore it deems appropriate to study and analyze the architectural perspective of this movement and not merely the formal aspects, as it has been done so far.