From fragmentation to the protection of the Heritage of the Modern Movement in Quito from 1940 to 1970

The Modern Movement in Ecuador began in the 1940s (later than countries that were within the first radius of influence), due to the participants as the professional debut of national architects and the experimentation of foreigners. Sixto Durán Ballén and Jaime Dávalos are Ecuadorian architects, forerunners of the Modern Movement. On the other hand, there are architects from abroad who migrated to Ecuador, such as Guillermo Jones Odriozola, Gilberto Gatto Sobral, Karl Kohn, and Otto Glass Pick, among others. In Quito, there are three marked stages within the architecture of the Modern Movement, the first is the transition stage from Republican architecture to the implementation of Modern architecture. The second was the “boom” of the Modern Movement, although it was not fully implemented in Ecuador due to the idiosyncrasies of Ecuadorian society. Finally, there is the stage of the transition of the Modern Movement towards Contemporary architecture. Within the last stage, a greater change could be observed, especially in the material and in the construction system. Currently, the architecture of the Modern Movement in Quito is unprotected and undervalued, for which there have been great losses of the modern architectural heritage. The first problem is that there is not a complete and reliable catalog of the works belonging to this period, so it is difficult to carry out any kind of action. In addition, there are no wide-ranging regulations that establish how to intervene, protect and maintain a work belonging to this architectural trend despite the importance of this time in our history. These circumstances have caused the works to be underused, in a deteriorated state, abandoned, or partially occupied. In some cases, banal interventions have been carried out, generating a loss of architectural, historical, symbolic, and social values, among others. In the worst of cases, the total loss of the work has been generated due to its overthrow. The research presents a study of the cataloging and management systems of buildings of historical value within the heritage of the Quito Modern Movement. A comparison with the instruments of the Docomomo and the current legislation of Quito. Showing management tools that make it possible to specifically evaluate the unique codes of the local Movement.