An important part of the architectural heritage of San Sebastian is about to disappear. The TAV promoters now want to do what the North Railway and the Carlist wars did not do: to knock down the Erbetegi tower, one of the oldest civil buildings in the city. Regarding the historic building located on the Paseo de Okendotegi, the association for the conservation of the heritage has requested that measures be taken to protect the property, as reported by Ancora.

 

 

 

 

Casa Torre, of the 15th century, also initially known as Legarra or “Casa de Ergobi”, was located in that strategic drift of the Urumea. Erbetegi's name comes from Bachiller Miguel Pérez Erbeeta, who was mayor of San Sebastian at the beginning of the sixteenth century. Married to María Gómez Olazabal, a wealthy family, they acquired the building and the surrounding lands by endowing their spouses.

Her daughter, Gracia de Olazabal, was later married to a member of the powerful Idiakez family and founder of the Convent of San Telmo, one of the symbols of San Sebastian. When he passed over to the Idiakez, the building wanted to become a rural house, surrounded by orchards and fruit trees, as indicated by the plans and reports of the project.

In the 19th century, the construction of the Northern Railroad separated several lands from the tower and in 1875 it was burned in the context of the Second Carlist War. But he stood up to this day.

Unconventional cultured architecture

Currently, the shield of the olazabaltarras and the name of Pérez Erbeeta are still visible in the arch of the portal of the house, as well as the archivolta that ends with two corbels in the form of a human head, with remains of color, “extraordinary element of the cultured architecture”. The building has very thick stone walls at the bottom and features “a beautiful roof” that leads it to four sides. Ancora explained that her situation is good, as “the current owners rehabilitated her a few years ago.”

Ancorá has warned that the landscape of the bank has suffered "numerous losses of historical references" and that the demolition of this tower house would cause greater damage in this path. It has therefore called for the necessary measures to be taken and for the economic means to be put in place to consolidate and maintain the structure of the house. In fact, at first Adif did not intend to topple the house, but a last-minute change seems to have jeopardized it, claiming that the TAV can affect its stability.

Asked about the case Eneko Goia, the mayor of Donostia-San Sebastián has been "eye-catching" to know the building now, according to Irutxuloko Hitza. But from before it was known that the tower house is of great historical value. The journal Bulletin of Historical Studies on San Sebastian, edited by the History Institute Dr. Camino, published in 2005 that it could have a minimum age of 1477 years, highlighting its importance in the Urumea river transport.

In the view of the conservation association, once again the lack of protection of the buildings of Donostia-San Sebastián and, in particular, of the villages at the time of the revision of the Special Plan for the Protection of the Built Urban Heritage has been highlighted.

Still the place of residence of citizenship

In addition to an important legacy, the TAV will take the rights of citizens ahead of it, unless the leaders and infrastructure managers choose it. Several families inhabit the building and denounced last December that they are at risk of homelessness, because with the “ridiculous” money they are going to give them in payment they will not be able to buy more housing.

The residents who are going to be expropriated include the elderly, pensioners, individuals and young families. The mayor of Donostia-San Sebastian, Eneko Goia, met with the mayor of the Gipuzkoan capital, but the residents regretted the poor response of the municipality. “We are Donostiarras and they are going to take us out of Donostia.”

In the place where they once had a motive, the municipal officials of Donostia now have two to protect the building: to ensure housing for the citizens they are in charge and to keep this treasure of the city’s civil history.