Edificio Comercial Edwards, Historical Monument at Estado and Merced streets, Santiago, Chile
Comercial Edwards is a three-story commercial building at the corner of Estado and Merced streets with a metal frame and dark facade. The front displays rectangular window openings, semicircular arches, and a corner cupola, while mosaic panels decorate the spaces between the upper-floor windows.
Architect Eugenio Joannon designed the building in 1892 as a prefabricated steel structure made in France and then shipped to Santiago for assembly. Its arrival near Plaza de Armas represented a turning point in how modern architecture was introduced to the city.
The building demonstrates Santiago's embrace of European design in the late 1800s and how local merchants favored modern materials imported from abroad. You can see on the facade how imported French metalwork created a new urban style in the city.
The ground floor still houses commercial spaces rented to different businesses, preserving the building's original working purpose. Its location on main streets makes it easy to spot and visit while exploring central Santiago.
The building arrived in Santiago as prefabricated parts from France and was assembled on-site, a remarkable feat for the 1890s. This manufacturing method made it an early example of how industrialized construction techniques could be shipped across oceans and rebuilt elsewhere.
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