Many years had to pass for the surname Guastavino be brought back from oblivion. And when his Valencian relatives told us that the Guastavinos had a thriving construction company in New York, few believed it. This is his (brief) story.

Rafael Guastaviano was born in Valencia, next to the Silk Market, in 1842, the son of a cabinetmaker of Italian descent. At the age of 19 he moved to Barcelona to study at the School of Construction Masters, what later became the Higher School of Architecture. There he learned the technique of vault partitioned or Catalan vault, which came from the Mediterranean tradition, already used by Arabs and Romans.

In Barcelona, ​​he patented the construction system of vaulted ceilings, but improved, as it used cement instead of plaster and was finished with a fireproof ceramic finish.  It was a novelty at the time, not only for its beautiful aesthetic result, but for the speed and low cost of construction.

Entrance to the Riverside Church in New York with neo-Gothic Guastavina vaults and its characteristic Mediterranean brickwork. Rafael's great-great-grandfather was Juan Manuel Nadal, a prestigious master builder and constructor who, in the 22th century, built at least XNUMX churches, including the church of San Jaime from Villarreal which most likely impacted young Rafael.

The trouble begins…

Around 1860, the construction was underway Barcelona's Eixample, an architectural landmark that Guastavino took advantage of to make his first constructions. His works include the factory Batlló textile and also the Massa theatre (recently remodeled).

And so begins the extraordinary story of this brilliant and chaotic man, who fled to New York in 1881, at the age of 39, without contacts, without speaking English, with 40.000 pesetas that he had obtained through a small scam in the construction of the Massa theatre.

His legitimate wife (who was also his cousin), fed up with his womanizing affairs, left for Argentina with her three daughters, whom he never saw again. He traveled to New York with his 9-year-old son, also called Rafael, his lover and her two daughters (who could not stand the northern climate and returned to Valencia).

The dome of Grand Central Station, a work by Guastavino. This magnificent building was saved from demolition by popular opposition and the intervention of Jackie Kennedy in 1975. This circumstantial event was vital to recover Guastaviano's image. Pennsylvania Station, which also had his work, was not so lucky and was demolished in 1963.

Oyster Bar & Restaurant (1913) opened with the opening of Grand Central Station, and when the station was redeveloped in the 70s, the restaurant specializing in American-style seafood reopened, offering 25-30 types of oysters.

New York, New York: Rafael Guastavino and his architectural legacy in the Big Apple

There is no doubt about the courage of Rafael Guastavino, who was also said to be a great talkative, friendly, witty, but chaotic and very left to numbers. Those who knew him said that he had a incredible talent, enthusiastic, energetic, brilliant, although everyone agrees that he was very careless in financial and personal matters. And this had repercussions on his business, as he was always on the verge of ruin, especially in the early years.

The impressive domes of the market under the Queensboro Bridge are clearly inspired by those of the Silk Market in Valencia, with series of columns that emerge from the ground like tree trunks. They have recently been renovated, after years of neglect and subjected to extreme conditions of water infiltration and traffic movements, demonstrating their extraordinary construction quality in this first century of existence. 

The beginnings were not easy, as he did not know English, did not know anyone and had no money. But his business skills allowed him to enter the circles of the city's builders. It is said that in order to convince the builders In order to use his dome system, he built some vaults in an open field, to which he placed kilos of iron ingots and set fire like a Valencian “cremá”, before the stupefied gaze of those present. Once the fire was extinguished, it was verified that the dome remained intact, a fact that was decisive for the success of the vault system, given the terror they felt for the destructive fires of the time, which had destroyed thousands of buildings, especially in the Chicago and Boston fires.

The Great Hall at Ellis Island, the first stop for emigrants entering through the port of New York. For years, the building had been in disuse, suffering from the inclemency of a damp and cold climate. When restoration work began, the architects were astonished: they only had to replace a dozen ceramic pieces by Guastavino.

With its son Rafael established a very unique relationship, being the only family member to whom he was attached. From childhood he took him to meetings with clients and builders, and eagerly introduced him to the world of construction. At only 20 years old, Rafael Jr. was already fully dedicated to design, even without being an architect. From this union, here was born the “Guastavino Company”, with which they created an entire empire.

The fact that they had the same name has created a certain confusion, since the figure and name of the father is prolonged in that of the son, and many of “Rafael Guastavino” works are by the son, not the father.

The Boston Public Library was his first major project and the one that allowed him to start his company.

First orders

Following the pyrotechnic experiment that convinced the experts, he received his first important job. It was with the architect Charles Follen Mackim for the Boston Public Library. Once the work was completed with great success, Guastavino began to receive many commissions.

With the system of the vaulted partition they created a brand, which was known as the “Guastavino system”. And one order brought another, up to more than 1.000. Guastavino Company was active for more than six decades, until the 60s, during which they made more than a thousand constructions of all kinds and nature: social clubs and auditoriums, apartment and office buildings, factories, schools and libraries, churches and banks, public buildings and private residences.

Patented system

In 1885 he patented his great partitioning system, which, curiously, had been invented centuries before. However, the truth is that he managed to improve his design, using Portland mortar, which allowed him to make a thinner layer and build in large structures without scaffolding. The system managed to reduce construction times and costs, as well as improving durability and, most importantly, its fireproof capacity. It was undoubtedly a revolution in modern architecture in New York, which welcomed the invention with open arms (and pockets).

Manhattan City Hall station, where Guastavino's glazed ceramic domes alternate with leaded glass windows.

This system used very thin brick pieces, which could not be imported from Spain due to their high cost. For this reason, Guastaviano, very skillfully, decided to assemble your own factory to make them in the United States. This is how the company was born in 1889 Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company, his big business, with which he made a real fortune. The Guastavino Company built another factory, that of ceramics, and recorded up to 24 construction patents, although the most important was undoubtedly the so-called “volta catalana”. They came to have 12 offices throughout the country, and carried out projects in Cuba, Canada, Mexico and India. As a curious fact, the head of works of the Company was an Irishman, Elias Disney, father of Walt Disney.

Della Robbia Bar, in the former Vanderbilt Hotel in New York (1912). The hotel was demolished in the 60s, but the restaurant's vaulted ceiling (the only one with blue ceramic enamel that still exists) was preserved. It is a New York City Heritage Site, something that is not very common in the city.

Rafael Guastavino Moreno died in 1908, at the age of 55 years old. In the obituary published by New York Times, referred to him as “the architect of New York”. And it is no wonder, the  360 buildings The works he carried out in the city confirm this. Guastaviano never returned to Spain, but he felt deeply Valencian. In his last years he retired to his house in Ashville, with his wife, and it is said that there he made splendid paellas washed down with his own wine, to which he invited all the authorities of the town, including the priest. Very Spanish.

Your son Rafael Guastavino Exposito He continued his legacy until his death in 1950. Unfortunately, the third generation was unable to maintain the business legacy and the Guastavino Company closed around 1960.

The Nebraska State Capitol Building, built by Rafael Guastavino Jr. in 1924, which projected the company on a national and international level.

Genius and figure

Guastavino was the first and most important Spanish architectoutside our borders, even before Gaudí, who was undoubtedly inspired by his work. What is truly inconceivable is that, to 1970, Guastavino's work was not studied and remained forgotten.

Currently, the New York City Council publishes a booklet, New York's Guastavino, which indicates a route to visit his works, which have been part and art of the New York's “Gilded Age” and which span the development of the city throughout the first part of the 20th century. Valencian had to be…

Photos: Michael Freeman