Germán Rodríguez Arias and Chillán's cine central (1945). A story of exile from Catalonia in Chile

Abstract

The Catalan architect Germán Rodríguez Arias (Barcelona, 1902-1987) is still fairly unknown in the history of Chilean architecture despite his name being linked to Pablo Neruda, with whom he collaborated in the design of his famous houses in Isla Negra and Santiago. Of all the volume of work the architect left from his years of exile in Chile between 1939 and 1957 – of variable architectural value to be sure – only one was built outside the reaches of Santiago, in the city of Chillán. The Cine Central building (1945) played an important role in the social life of the citizens of Chillán, a city just beginning to recover from the earthquake in early 1939, and in spite of the amalgam of new uses it has been put to, it has remained faithful to its original spirit.

This paper vindicates the figure of Rodríguez Arias and his contribution to the history of Chilean architecture, explains his arrival in Chile and the motives for asking him to design the Cine Central based on the specific idea of “architecture in exile”. The final part of the text focuses on an exploration of the building and its current state of conservation.