One of the cultural attractions of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is its wealth of truly unique architectural styles. The characteristic buildings of the traditional city (dating from the 15th or 16th centuries), the urban layout of the Vegueta neighbourhood (foreseeing the organisation of new settlements in America) and contemporary trends, such as Art Nouveau, Rationalism and Developmentalism, are all concepts of urban buildings that have left their mark on the city. And if we add into the mix traditional features, for example Canarian balconies and the avant-garde designs of the 21st century, the capital of Gran Canaria is like a theme park for lovers of architecture and how it has evolved over time.

Given this context, it is hardly surprising that some unique elements still contribute to the city’s urban legacy. Those connected with the style known as neo-Canarian are undoubtedly worth highlighting. In real terms, this style has involved planning and executing a few specific constructions in the heart of the city with the original aim of redefining typical concepts in the Canary Islands.

This specific architectural style was conceived by the Martín-Fernandez de la Torre brothers, born and raised in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. One was the painter Néstor (1887–1938), a learned, well-travelled man and an enthusiastic creator; his command of colour and form made him one of the most significant figures in Symbolism and Art Nouveau in the country and earned him a great reputation as an artist in Europe. The other younger brother, Miguel (1894–1980), was an architect trained in Madrid where he worked for Secundino Zuazo. He also had a zealous work-ethic and embarked on more than a thousand official and private projects (several catalogued as rationalist architecture). He was responsible for part of the planning and expansion of the city in the 20th century, for example the urban development of the Alcaravaneras district.

The pair gave the neo-Canarian style, which had already been in development since the turn of the 20th century, a distinctive dimension in the capital of Gran Canaria. This was especially true from 1937 when Néstor painted his water-colour vision of Pueblo Canario (Canarian Village), redefining Canarian traditional costumbrist buildings to propose an architectural complex in the centre of Doramas Park, next to Hotel Santa Catalina. Néstor had the foresight to envision this place as the location of a permanent exhibition centre targeted at tourists and travellers. Miguel intervened at this point to submit a substantial architectural design to the city council.

The idea was accepted at a turbulent time (the Spanish Civil War) with an immediate future full of economic uncertainty. The brothers’ plan, which constantly evolved until the 1950s, included integrating the old chapel, the organisation of terraces, sales outlets and an art gallery (the Néstor Museum) for displaying the works of Néstor, who died in 1938. In 1956, after a prolonged completion process of the works, the Pueblo Canario finally opened its doors. Since then, and interrupted only for restorations and renovations, this complex has welcomed tourists (with performances by folk groups on public holidays) and offered residents a place to relax in the city centre.

Just next door, the brothers also left their mark in the recovery of the original Hotel Santa Catalina. Opened in 1890 with a distinctive British style, it had been designed by the prestigious Scottish architect James Marjoribanks MacLaren, an architect behind several buildings in London and Scotland. The hotel closed in 1914, the year when World War I began, which had a negative impact on the island’s economy as it was largely dependent on British commerce. It was then demolished.

In 1947, Miguel Martín-Fernández de la Torre was commissioned by the Mando Económico de Canarias (Economic Command of the Canary Islands) and the city council, the owner of the space, to provide a new architectural design. Using the ideas his brother Néstor had left behind years earlier, the result represents the pinnacle of neo-Canarian style. The Hotel Santa Catalina reopened in 1952 and, after an ambitious refurbishment in the 21st century, it has already celebrated its 125th anniversary. Today it is a five-star hotel that enhances the history of the capital of Gran Canaria.

The Martín-Fernández de la Torre brothers left their stamp on a third construction, the current Casa del Turismo (House of Tourism), built in 1944 in Santa Catalina Park. This building, credited to Miguel, but reflecting the new traditionalism designed by Néstor, has been the home since it opened of the Provincial Board of Tourism, the Regional Office of the Ministry of Information and Tourism and the Provincial Department of the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and the Environment. In the 21st century it has become consolidated as a place to provide tourists with information and as the headquarters of the municipal company Turismo LPA.