In Quito, the prevailing way of building the city is based on vertical growth, which is indifferent to everything that is part of the context, but which does not add value. Neither better nor worse than other forms of urban growth; It is a management model that requires unstoppable dynamism to continue growing. If it stagnates, it collapses. It is a snowball that, if allowed to roll freely, can turn into an avalanche. Cities like London, New York or Hong Kong can support this type of urban development, because their economies are larger than those of entire countries, such as Argentina or Indonesia. Ours is an economy that allows verticality, but it’s slow; very slow.

The conflict arises, therefore, when the aforementioned massive growth and the aforementioned indifference face an essential part of Quito’s urban identity: heritage. And this makes Hotel Quito a point of conflict between the development of the new and the preservation of the built memory.

It is not worth going into this space to detail the heritage value of Hotel Quito. This has already been done by the College of Architects of Pichincha, and in a precise and successful way.

The Quito Hotel will be internally remodeled to compete with Airbnb-type services under the new business scheme

A proposal is now being discussed which seeks to generate residential towers in the hotel gardens and in other undeveloped areas, ostensibly so as not to affect the heritage value of the building. It’s like someone wanting to build a tower in the central courtyard of a convent in San Francisco, claiming that it doesn’t affect the heritage value of that historical icon of the city.

(…) which makes Hotel Quito a point of collision between the development of the new and the preservation of memories…

They also want to convert the parking lot into a block of six-story buildings, ignoring that the government of President Camilo Ponce Enríquez expropriated the sector to prevent the hotel’s presence from being obstructed by less important buildings.

Truth, goodness and beauty

I previously stated in this column that the González Suárez sector is stagnating. The new population is not arriving in the mentioned area in the necessary volume. This is due to the lack of an anchor of economic development in place. But this is not solved by questionable asset conversions. There comes a time when cultural value must be above economic value.

No one disputes the right of the current owners of the hotel to make money from it; but we have every right to demand consistency in their actions. You don’t buy heritage property to build towers however you want. It’s like buying a top-of-the-line cattle car. Profitable alternatives should be sought in accordance with the patrimonial nature of the property. I’m sure they can be found if you go beyond the immediate.

Quito has already lost many opportunities to diversify its development. The lack of serious discussion and the servility of the public sector towards the private sector are the causes of this. Hotel Quito is the last bastion we have left. If we do not defend it, we will allow Quito to become just another generic city; a price to be paid by many, for the benefit of only a few. (OR)