Skip to content

267. juan spinetto y familia

Juan Spinetto, Recoleta Cemetery

Perhaps a relative of market owner David Spinetto, the most striking thing about this family vault is that it is made of brick… or is it?? On closer inspection the façade turns out to be merely concrete marked & painted to appear like brick:

Juan Spinetto, Recoleta Cemetery

Brick has never been valued in Buenos Aires as an exterior finish. Although extensively used for the interior of walls, bricks were covered with a thin layer of concrete usually decorated to imitate stone—a technique known as simil piedra, literally “like stone” in Spanish. But since stone was in scarce supply for construction throughout the vast grasslands of the Pampas, locals decided the next best thing was to give buildings a faux finish to resemble stone.

The Spinettos took this technique even further (probably using actual brick on the interior) but choosing to decorate with faux brick instead of faux stone. Not the only example in the city, but definitely unique in Recoleta Cemetery.

Published inArt + Architecture

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *