The structure that currently houses the municipal offices of the La Laguna City Council is situated between the House of the Corregidor and the House of the Captains General. Constructed between 1705 and 1709, it sits on land that previously hosted the Alhóndiga, which is the origin of this building’s name, designed to facilitate the buying and selling of wheat. This essential cereal for the Canarian diet could be stored there by farmers without incurring any taxes or duties until sold.
Originally, the building was assembled to accommodate administrative units for monitoring the Island’s economic activities during the reign of Felipe V. José Antonio de Ayala y Roxas served as mayor and captain general of the Island, while the construction was overseen by commissioners Gonzalo de Ocampos and Pedro Colón. Access is granted through a broad wooden door set within a grey stone frame, flanked by a coat of arms, rising two stories high, with four sash windows located on both the ground and upper floors, maintaining a symmetrical design.
Barracks of the Civil Guard
Over time, according to Rodríguez Moure, these premises “only served as a ballroom for rats and a sanctuary for all acrobats visiting the town.” Eventually, when Cirilo Olivera y Olivera was mayor, plans were made to convert the space to house the first barracks for the then provincial guard. Nevertheless, on December 5, 1898, the Civil Guard took over the premises, with a lieutenant, a sergeant, and eight guards stationed in the city.
To support the establishment of the Benemérita in La Laguna, a financial contribution was made by doctor and former mayor Eduardo Tacoronte Hernández, following the arrival of the first group of civil guards in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on January 21, 1809, with deployment commencing the following January 15. Due to the neglected state of the barns, significant renovations were necessary to suit the barracks needs.
This building served as the judiciary until the Court’s relocation to Santa Cruz was enacted, a move that caused distress in La Laguna. General José Marrero was summoned to preside over the Court and oversee political affairs, subsequently ordering the transfer of the Lagunero Court, including the judge and clerks, to Santa Cruz. Occurring in 1836, this decision effectively reduced the old capital of Tenerife to a “diminished” hamlet (Rodríguez Moure), until the new judicial districts were established in 1839, reinstating the city’s court to its deserved status based on history and justice. The new division extended the party court to encompass Tacoronte, Sauzal, La Matanza, La Victoria, Santa Úrsula, Tegueste, and El Rosario. The first judge appointed was Cateyano García, who assumed office in February 1864.
The spacious courtyard of this building, which currently functions as a temporary parking area for the local police, was formerly utilised as municipal workshops and a basketball court. Here, local teams, Canarias and Juventud Católica, later known as Juventud Laguna, practiced their sport. For numerous years, the local music band also rehearsed in this area, which at one time served as a public school.
The theatre that never came to be
The original facade underwent modifications in the 19th century, adding a parapet and a blind pediment. This renovation aimed to convert it into the theatre that the city desperately needed, as per an agreement by the City Council in 1850, assigning the project to provincial architect Manuel de Oraá y Arcocha (Burgos 1822-Santa Cruz de Tenerife 1889), known for significant works, including the Guimerá theatre in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Unfortunately, this theatre was never constructed due to insufficient funding.
In 1915, a modern and delightful theatre was built on the same street by Lagunero Antonio Leal Martín, who funded the project privately, a gesture that was never aptly recognised.
The Alhóndiga structure, alongside the Corregidor building, was internally renovated to accommodate various municipal services, including the court of the judicial district of La Laguna. As the administration grew throughout the last century, the court was relocated to the Casa de la Alhóndiga, where it remained until being permanently established in a Canarian-style building adjacent to the hermitage of San Miguel in Plaza del Adelantado.
After the courts vacated and the House of the Captains General was procured, the three buildings facing La Carrera Street underwent internal connections to serve the municipality’s administrative functions.
This section of La Carrera street, where Casa de la Alhondiga resides along with other municipal offices, gave rise to a legend that persists in the memories of the Laguneros. It involves the clandestine love affair of the youngest son of the Adelantado, Fernando, who met his fate due to these forbidden romances. His father, Alonso, ordered the construction of the wall projection surrounding his home (now the convent of the Catalina Nuns) to shield himself from the site of his son’s demise. Historians such as María Rosa Alonso and Manuela Marrero suggest that, while this tale may hold a semblance of validity, the actual truth, far less romantic, prevails. The Adelantado did not reside in the Villa de Arriba, nor was his son killed out of love. In reality, Fernando perished in Barbary, considerably later, during one of the expeditions to the neighbouring African coastline. Nevertheless, historian Rodríguez Moure continues to keep the legend alive in some form.
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