Cultural heritage site in Lima, Peru
The Casa Marcionelli was a historical residential and commercial building located near San Martín Plaza, in Lima. The 3-story building was destroyed in 2023 by a fire during a series of protests in its immediate surroundings.[1][2] The building was named after its first owner, Severino Marcionelli.[2][3]
History
The building's area was bought by Italian Swiss businessman and philanthropist Severino Marcionelli (Bironico, 1869 – Lima, 1957), originally from Ticino,[2][3] alongside his business partner, José Di Luka Hanza Pericevic, originally from Cannosa, Dalmatia.[4] Marcionelli, who emigrated to Peru in 1890,[5] was a mining entrepreneur who owned mines in southern Peru, had previously participated in the construction of the high-altitude Galera railway tunnel in Ticlio, and had also ventured into the country's agricultural sector.[2][5] He also helped establish and was an important member of local organizations, such as the Club de la Unión or the Peruvian chapter of Pro Ticino, a diaspora organization for Ticinese Swiss in Peru, becoming an important member of the diaspora.[3][6][7]
The building, built in the 1920s, originally housed Marcionelli's mining company's offices.[2] Marcionelli himself served as honorary consul as the building also began to house the Consulate general of Switzerland in Lima until the late 1940s, when the consulate was elevated to a legation.[2][3][6][8] The current location of the Swiss embassy in Lima also belonged to Marcionelli.[7]
Fire
A fire began on the night of January 19, 2023, amid anti-government protests in its immediate surroundings and in the nearby San Martín Plaza. The fire was classified as a Code 3, i.e. out of control, later escalating to a Code 4, i.e. an unsalvageable fire or a "local tragedy".[9][10] The building's façade gradually collapsed in the night of the 19th and early morning of the 20th, with only parts of the first floor surviving.[7] Firefighters reportedly had problems with fire hydrants and were thus unable to properly stop the fire for hours.[11] At the time of the fire, the house had been recently restored for the rental of its spaces in artistic exhibitions and to be used as a hostal.[11] One person was evacuated to a nearby hospital and two people were treated for smoke inhalation as a result of the fire.[12] All of the building's inhabitants were evacuated but were left homeless.[13][14]
Tear gas canisters deployed by police forces were pointed out by protestors as a possible source of the fire, but statements by authorities such as Interior Minister Vicente Romero Fernández pointed out that such a claim was false, as said devices cannot cause fires.[15] The cause of the fire is still under investigation.[16]
A security camera from the Municipality of Lima recorded the moment in which the protesters launched fireworks near the house; the residents of the place declared to the press that an explosion was heard before the incident.[17]
