Eladio Dieste, Montevideo, Uruguay, 1963
229. Eladio Dieste /// Casa Dieste ///
Montevideo, Uruguay /// 1963 Of Houses guest curated by Cristian Valenzuela Pinto (Deseopolis / Sin Título Zine): Hidden
Legacy The
house is today the property of a former UN employee, whose name translated into English literally is ‘‘Mr. Secret’’ (Sr. Segredo). Denied
by years working abroad of settling in his native Montevideo, Mr. Secret
decided upon retirement to buy and live in what was once Eladio Dieste’s home. ‘‘In
a small country petty fights adopt bigger proportions, and over time neither
architectural nor engineering associations, antagonist institutions in Uruguay’s
professional landscape – confides Mr. Secret – had been diligent enough to
protect and spread the legacy of a figure that didn’t fit in either party’s
agenda.’’ ‘‘-As
a trained engineer – he explained – Dieste’s personal quests stood apart from
those of the engineer’s milieu, and for the architects association he never
stopped being an engineer; that little paradox has sent him slowly into our
small national oblivion – he concluded.’’ Meanwhile,
what was an austere brick construction is today a living museum, preserved and
maintained industriously as if still a home. (Photo source: “Eladio Dieste, 1943-1996″, Sevilla: Direccion General de Arquitectura y Vivienda, 1996; Miguel Ortega Rodriguez, “Casa Dieste”.)
