The legacy of Julio Vilamajó in Montevideo
Julio Vilamajó left a fine exhibition of his talent in Montevideo. The great Uruguayan architect, who consulted – with Le Corbusier and Niemeyer – on the design of the UN headquarters in New York, lived very near Rodó Park. For the past decade, his beautiful home has been the Vilamajó House Museum, which has developed numerous projects that display his extraordinary talents.
Photos Ine Olivera
Today the Vilamajó House Museum, the 1930s building in which the architect resided is a masterclass in some of his most representative features, from unlimited creativity to the treatment of light, the connection of spaces and Mediterranean influences.
The Faculty of Engineering, UdelaR, was designed in 1936 using porticos, which housed spaces below the volumes that are integrated into the promenade. Made from concrete, it was completed in 1944.
The Edificio Juncal residential project was completed in 1939 and has been a National Historical Monument since 1989.
In the Moorish Spanish style, with Italian influences, this project was influenced by the architect’s travels. He designed it in 1926, just two years after returning from Spain and Italy. It has been a National Heritage Site since 1986.
A National Historical Monument, the Garage de Asistencia Pública shows the avant-garde style of Julio Vilamajó. The project is from 1931.
Built between 1929 and 1941 and with an elegant classical inspiration, the building contrasts with the more modern style that Vilamajó was already showing at the time.
This residential project was completed in 1947. One of Vilamajó’s last projects, it shows his extraordinary handling of surfaces and geometry.
Located in the Pocitos neighbourhood, the Vivienda Yriart exhibits the connection of the exterior and the interior, so frequent in Vilamajó’s projects. It was built in 1927 with a mixture of elements ranging from classical structures to Spanish ornamentation and Art Nouveau.
Today the Vilamajó House Museum, the 1930s building in which the architect resided is a masterclass in some of his most representative features, from unlimited creativity to the treatment of light, the connection of spaces and Mediterranean influences.
