Notes on the history of the journal “ARQUITECTURA” as a vehicle for publicizing architectural innovation

Abstract

From 1918 to 1930, the journal published texts primarily dealing with history. Despite this historicism, news on the modernist revolution slipped into its pages.Beginning in or around 1930 it focused more on new architecture. Nonetheless, it maintained an eclectic policy and published many articles on non-modern subjects. After the Civil War, the government took it over in an attempt to promote neo-historicist architecture. From 1948 to 1972 its editor-in-chief was Carlos de Miguel. In 1956 it was returned to the Chartered Institution of Architects. This period was characterized by a professional bias, with a focus on chronicling Madrilenian and Spanish architecture. It was followed by short, erratic stages until 1976 under the leadership of Junquera and Pérez-Pita. After 1981, this same line was continued by Javier Frechilla, Gabriel Ruiz Cabrero and the author of this article, with a more learned and academic accent, but without losing sight of the professional chronicling and eclecticism that had guided previous stages. After 1987 the editors-in-chief were de la Mata, Nieto and Sobejano. Theirs was an interesting journal, but with a lower profi le. They were succeeded by Soriano and Porras, who gave the journal an avant-garde slant. Baldellou was editor-in-chief from 1993 to 2000, a period that merits rather harsh commentary. In 2000 José Ballesteros, Juan García Millán and Ricardo Sánchez-Lampreave took over; and later Antón Capitel and García Millán retrieved the journal’s values as a vehicle for architectural innovation and culture and for chronicling local, national and international events.