Villa Grimaldi Park for Peace

For centuries before the military coup that brought General Augusto Pinochet to power in Chile in 1973, Villa Grimaldi was a gathering space for some of Chile’s most prominent intellectuals and a birthplace of the country’s independence movement and democracy. Formerly a private estate, Villa Grimaldi was reinvigorated in 1940 by Emilio Vasallo, who bought the park portion of the estate and established a restaurant and meeting place on the grounds. This lively era came to an end when the military regime’s secret police, Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional, or DINA, appropriated Villa Grimaldi for use as a prison and torture facility.

Although DINA used the site for only two years, 1974-1976, more than 5,000 men and women were detained and tortured here, including current Chilean president Michelle Bachelet. Over 200 prisoners were never seen again. During its prison phase, the site included a water tower converted into cells; a series of small wooden chambers, shaped like vertical coffins, called the Chile Houses; and the Corvi Houses, where some of the most heinous torture took place. Today, little of the original site remains, as almost everything was destroyed in an attempt to hide the evidence of torture.

After democracy was reestablished in Chile in 1990, Villa Grimaldi was turned over to the Ministry of Housing and Urbanization. On December 10, 1994, the Parque de la Paz project was formally initiated, supported by victims, witnesses, government representatives, and other human rights groups. Two years later, the non-profit Corporación Parque de la Paz was formed to oversee the project. On March 24, 1997, the Park was inaugurated and opened to the public.

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Discussions

Should a site's original elements be preserved at all costs?

How important is it for memorials to preserve the physical remains of the events they commemorate? Within this question lies another: if it is beneficial…

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Design for Villa Grimaldi Park for Peace

Villa Grimaldi Park for Peace consists of a 10,200-square-meter green space crossed by two intersecting paths that lead to a wall inscribed with the names…

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