Casa Colorada, Colonial house in Santiago, Chile
Casa Colorada is a two-story colonial residence in Santiago featuring red brick walls and stone coverings on its ground floor. The roof is topped with traditional clay tiles and the structure sits along Merced Street in the city's historic center.
Construction started in 1769 under Portuguese architect Joseph de la Vega, commissioned by Mateo de Toro y Zambrano, and took a decade to finish. The 2010 earthquake damaged the structure, leading to ongoing restoration work with support from the Regional Development Fund of Chile.
The Museum of Santiago operates within the building, presenting objects from Pre-Columbian times through to contemporary Santiago spread across five exhibition spaces. Visitors can trace how the city changed over centuries by looking at artworks and daily objects from different periods.
The house is currently closed to visitors due to restoration work, though you can view it from outside and explore the surrounding area and street. The location on central Merced Street makes it easy to visit on foot while exploring the historic district.
The structure uses sillar stone walls, oak roof framing, and canelo wood elements, making it a rare example of colonial residential building techniques. This material choice reflects what was available locally and imported to Chile during that period.
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