José Tomás Urmeneta, 1808-1878 . Disponible en Memoria Chilena, Biblioteca Nacional de Chile http://www.memoriachilena.cl/602/w3-article-100358.html.

José Tomás Urmeneta (1808-1878) was the most important mining entrepreneur of the XIX century; he was a politician and philanthropist, according to Vicuña Mackenna, the wealthiest man in South America.

He starts his activity as a mining entrepreneur in 1831 when he returns to Chile after remaining some time in Spain and three years in England. In London, he is witness of the significant social and economic changes that the Industrial Revolution is bringing forty and he is influenced by the bourgeois virtues such as economic rationality, business spirit and morality.

After several comings and goings as a mining entrepreneur and practically falling into bankruptcy, in October 1852, Urmeneta stumbles into a good grade copper deposit in the “Pique de Tamaya”. The large copper extracted amounts, their quality and increase in the international price due to the Crimea war, would make him become the richest man in the country within a few years.

Starting 1853 he starts to diversify his investments. In mining he was also dedicated to gold, silver and coal extraction. He created the Smelter Chilean Association and Santiago Gas Association. As a capitalist partner he invested in the Tiles and Bricks Factory and Molinos Saint Cristóbal; gave loans to merchants; invested in closely-held companies such Ferrocarril del Sur; the Compañía Chilena de Seguros; and the Banco Nacional de Chile; in rural and urban real estate properties, thus becoming one of the most important businessmen in the second half of the XIX century.

His political activity began when he was chosen proprietary member of the House of Representatives for Ovalle (1846-1849); was member of the On-Going Treasury and Industry Commission. He was elected member of the House of Representatives for Ovalle for the 1849-1852 period, but did not hold office. Afterwards, for the 1852-1855 period, he was elected proprietary member of the House of Representatives for Elqui. He formed part of the Senate when he was elected proprietary Senator for the 1855-1864 period. In 1853 he was chosen State Counselor.

In 1871 he was presidential candidate of the Republic supported by radicals, liberals and nationals, but he was not successful. Federico Errázuriz Zañartu won the election by 226 votes versus his 58.

Real Estate Patrimony

All along the years Urmeneta invested in real estate goods, both for personal and family use (mansions, ranches and a country recreational house), as well as part of the real estate business.

The most outstanding are the private houses: the Urmeneta Palace (patrimony that we will never be able to know) and the Quinta Bella, both properties located in Santiago and the Limache ranch in the region of Valparaíso.

By 1848, Urmeneta acquired a house on Monjitas Street that was particularly used by his daughters who studied in the capital city and for when he came to visit. In 1853, he definitely moved to Santiago and the house became too small for this business man and politician, with an intensive social life. So he buys the house next door, reforms it and links it to the old one, making it into a large mansion. Still not satisfied, in 1868 he acquires the back lots of the houses, demolishes everything and builds a palace, under the architect Manuel Aldunate and executed by the builder Eduardo Von Moltke. The works lasted until 1873 and the palace was richly ornamented with stained glass windows, furniture, tapestries, crystal glassware, paintings, silverware, marbles, etc. objects that were specially brought from Europe on trips that Urmeneta took. The palace was considered as the most luxurious and solemn of all Latin America. Unfortunately, like many patrimonial buildings, the Urmeneta Palace disappeared as time elapsed. In 1929, it was auctioned and since there were no people interested in its purchase, the building was demolished.

La Quinta Bella and the Limache ranch were also outstanding due to their luxury and refinement; they were designed and decorated at the purest English bourgeois style. Their distribution was on one side of the park and the chateau and on the other, the farm with administration and collections departments.

In 1853, Urmeneta started the purchase of several lands outside of Santiago, in the Llano de Saint Domingo (North of Recoleta), which by 1862 gave origin to the famous ranch Quinta Bella (also known as Quinta Urmeneta). This had a mansion that was exquisitely decorated, beautiful with imposing flower gardens designed by an Italian gardener, with water fountains and a forest with exotic trees that was admired by the guests.

In 1864 Urmeneta entrusts the architect Manuel Aldunate building an oratory for the Quinta (country side house). Martina Barros de Orrego mentions the following regarding the matter “I remember that at one time he invited us to the inauguration of the chapel on a Holy Thursday. It was small and pretty outside, but we could not see the alter and its interior ornaments, because it was totally covered with black mourning hangings; we could only see in front of the altar where there was a large crucifix surrounded by high candlesticks with lit wax candles, with that dim light that shows such a painful impression. People from the neighborhood would come in and out praying out loud as well as the tenants from the neighboring farm, while a priest was on the pulpit praying the Stations of the Cross…“. (Recuerdos de mi Vida (Remembrances of my Life), 1942:98).

When Urmeneta dies in 1878, his wife inherits the Quinta Bella, but many years later, Martina Barros evidences that the property belonged to her brother Manuel and that he had even died there.

It is known that in 1923 the lands were sold to the Casa de Orates to implement the rehabilitation project with an opens doors program and ergotherapy, very much in vogue in Europe since 1920 and they also acquired the Fundo El Peral (El Peral Ranch), where the open door was inaugurated in 1928.

In 1950 its fate changes, the lands are bought by the Housing Corporation and in 1952 the Quinta Bella Housing Project was inaugurated. 20 years later, the old Escuela Perú Nº 126 (No. 126 Peru School) was installed in this line. The chapel belonged to the school when it was declared Historical Monuments in 1994 by the National Monuments Council. It remained so until 2002, when the school was later moved from the area as it was merged with the school, Escuela Rómulo Gallegos to form part of the school, Escuela de Puerto Rico.

It currently belongs to the Recoleta Cultural Corporation and it is expected that the funds will be obtained as soon as possible to restore it, although there is still doubts on understanding what happened to the 500,000 million that IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) had granted to the district as a result of the Patrimonial Reconstruction Program and whose works should have concluded in 2012 (Please see the note “The church of Recoleta built in adobe in the XIX century is restored” published in 2011 in the La Tercera newspaper) .

For more than 40 years and to date it continues to be closed, it has been used as a materials deposit, and has been ransacked and looted, even the stairways that allowed access to the towers have been stolen and the only image that there still was there was rescued by a neighbor who, after 40 years, returned it, is now restored and it is expected that it will be exhibited soon.