Caixa de Pontevedra

The Provincial Savings Bank of Pontevedra (Caixa de Aforros Provincial de Pontevedra or Caixa de Pontevedra) was a Spanish financial institution based in the city of Pontevedra (Spain) dependent on the Provincial Council of Pontevedra (provincial deputation), existing between 1930 and 2000.

History

It was founded in Pontevedra on 12 January 1930 and started its activity on 20 January 1930.[1] Its first president was Daniel de la Sota and its first director Alexandre Bóveda.[2] After Daniel de la Sota's dismissal as president of the provincial deputation, the military man Manuel Casas Medrano took over and Alexandre Bóveda resigned.[3] In the years of the Second Spanish Republic, the company began to expand in the north of the province of Pontevedra, with branches in various towns. At the beginning of 1938, a purge of personnel was carried out, in accordance with the provisions of the National Defence Council.

Between 1940 and 1960, the

The building

After the demolition of the San José chapel, the building of the Caja de Ahorros Provincial de Pontevedra was built in St. Joseph's Square. This headquarters was built in three stages: the original building was begun in 1944 and became the headquarters of the Pontevedra Savings Bank in 1948. The building occupied a plot of 200 square metres in the Plaza de San José and was a stone building of noble appearance, with a ground floor and four floors, according to the project of Emilio Quiroga Losada, the municipal architect.[13]

The second section was designed as an extension along González Besada Street in 1956. This extension was designed and built by the architects Robustiano Fernández Cochón and Laureano Barreiro. The last part consisted of the execution of an annex of modern architecture with a façade on San José and Augusto García Sánchez streets, built between 1970 and 1974 by the architect Joaquín Basilio Bas.[14] Since the renovation, the building has a large auditorium with over 800 seats.

The building was completely renovated by the architect César Portela in 2004 and inaugurated on 15 July 2006.[15][16] It has a surface area of 12,000 square metres of construction and retains two stone facades, combined with an enormous glass cube on the rear facade which opens onto Avenida Augusto García Sánchez and gives it a striking modern and avant-garde appearance.[17] The building is crowned on the façade of its main entrance by a 6-metre high bronze sculpture by the sculptor Cándido Pazos, created in 2006, representing the Greek archer Teucer, the mythical founder of the city of Pontevedra.[18] On the south façade, the bas-reliefs by Xoan Piñeiro The Sea and The Countryside have been restored.

Inside the building there is a large hall that is accessed from the main entrance on Augusto González Besada Street and connects the different rooms. Five large sculptures by the sculptor Sergio Portela are strategically placed in this hall to meet their eyes. A camellia garden has been installed on the terrace and in the two interior patios there is an 11-metre waterfall and 15-metre high hanging gardens. In addition to an auditorium with over 800 seats, the building has a conference room and three large exhibition halls.[19]

type	1930–2000: Savings bank
industry	Financial services and Social work
foundation	1930
defunct	2000
successor	Abanca
location city	Augusto González Besada Street, 2, 36001 Pontevedra
location country	Spain
key people	Daniel de la Sota (Chairman) ,

Caixa de Pontevedra

History

The building

Gallery

See also

Bibliography

External links

References