Asunción is a city full of mysteries in each of its corners. This is the case of the famous mansion located on Avenida Carlos Antonio López, whose story raised all kinds of comments a few days ago on social networks.
Source: By Juan Riveros
“For as long as I can remember, this house in Saxony has never been sold. What some don’t know is that it has many mysteries inside,” Twitter user Marco Ortiz said a few days ago, attaching the photo of the property, known by many of the people who normally pass through Avenida Carlos Antonio López.
Quickly the post generated hundreds of comments from some people claiming to know the history of the house and others asking for the story of the “mystery” that it kept.
This is how the publication reached the owners of the house, the cattaneo family. One of its members, Manuel Cattáneo, decided to publicize “the truth” about the property on the social network and clear up the doubts and comments that were made regarding it.
The house always belonged to the Cattáneo family, for almost seven decades. Construction was finished in 1939, and that same year Luis Quirino Cattáneo bought it and moved in with his wife and his children.
Luis Cattáneo was a shipping businessman, had acquired this property because, due to its height, he could see the movement of his ships in the bay and the Paraguay River. Years ago it was put up for sale.
Some time later, a consortium of lawyers and notaries interested in buying the house consulted the Municipality about the possibility of remodeling it, but the institution replied that it was not possible due to its patrimonial condition.
“They wanted to remove the wall from the side, which faces Santiago Leguizamón street, to make a parking lot, but when the consultation was made to the Municipality, they replied that it could not be touched because it was cultural heritage,” he explained to HOY, Don Manuel Cattáneo, father of Manuel Cattáneo, young man who exposed the situation of the house on social networks.
The property was declared “Historical Heritage” for its “environmental, landscape and cultural urban site character”.
With the impossibility of renovating, heThe family left the property in charge of a real estate agent so that it can be rented and generate income.
effectively the property was rented shortly after. However, to the surprise of the family, what was a family home became a brothel, which forced them to execute the complaint and an eviction order. The house is still for sale, waiting for a buyer.
A BASEMENT WITH CELLS?
Several of the people who spoke of the history of the house made mention of the existence of a basement with cells. The version was clarified by the family.
It is true that there is a basement, but not the cells. This place was used by the family as a kind of warehouse at the beginning, but later it was transformed into a room.
“It actually has two basements, which are connected to each other, they are not cells. Before, in old houses, basements were used as merchandise warehouses. It was also the room of several family members”, said Don Manuel.
This is what the interior of one of the rooms in the house looks like.
“Maybe people relate because there is an iron door that leads to the garage in the back, but they are not cells. There is a lot of fantasy around the house. My schoolmate always asked me “where was the tunnel that led to the Carlos A. López park” or he told me that “supposedly the house had a tunnel that reached the port”and I always responded with humor: “I never found the tunnel,” he added.
He further said that people were always impressed by height and darkness. He said that in factor they dared to pass in front of the house because of the impression it generated from the outside, perhaps this was fueled by horror stories that were told on television at that time or about the park itself.
RESPONSE FROM THE MUNICIPALITY
The history of the house had such an impact to the point that the authorities of the Municipality of Asunción had to go out to clarify the situation.
About, the head of the Municipal Cabinet, Federico Mora, presented the background and proof of the case. He indicated that there are no obstacles, but there is the “protection of the property” according to the condition of the heritage in terms of its intervention based on the protocol approved by the Ministry of Culture.
Here it goes @marcortizpy the background and proof of the case. Nothing hinders, if the protection of the property in accordance with the heritage status, which also implies that any intervention has the protocol approved by @cultura_py. pic.twitter.com/V0kXXM0qiv
— Federico Mora (@mora_federico) January 18, 2023
