Religious communities established in Santafé from the XVI century promoted churches and convents construction lodging their members and students attending their schools, received prayers who gathered for religious services and feasts celebration. Churches were built next to open spaces subsequently becoming small squares.

For churches and convents decoration the best masters, artisans and artists of Santafé were contracted. The oldest are La Conception and San Francisco, dating back to the second half of the XVI century. San Ignacio, from the first XVII decades is the most beautiful Company of Jesus church in the country keeping and extraordinary collection of paintings and carvings from the colonial period; Santa Clara was built early in the XVII century and San Agustín was finished by the second half of the same century. La Tercera, built during the second half of the XVIII century by Third Franciscan Order, preserves an extraordinary assembly of wood carving with no gold. The Cathedral, projected by Fray Domingo de Petrés capuchin monk construction started in 1803 and was completed twenty years later. Sagrario chapel and Casa del Cabildo Eclesiástico, erected on the eastern Bolívar plaza side early in the XVII century form part of cathedral assembly. La Candelaria, giving the name to one of the oldest neighborhoods, undoubtedly the most beautiful of the city, preserves and important collection of oleos from painters of the time.

San Francisco temple is the richest in works of art. Treasuries include mudéjar ceiling and lateral altars of the plateresc style, chorus seats, the chapel and the Immaculate chamber, the main altar and retable covering the entire chapel up to the groin arch. One of the chapels lodges ancient Cristo del Humilladero and very valuable paintings from renowned painters. Also deserving mention Santa Clara church now religious art museum, El Carmen and La Bordadita chapel forming part of El Rosario School, founded by Fray Cristóbal de Torres in 1653, and San Diego church built in 1607. Nuestra Señora de Las Nieves, built by conqueror Cristóbal Bernal in 1570 and destroyed by 1917 earthquake had to be fully reconstructed. Santa Bárbara dates back to 1581 and exhibits great Vásquez de Arce y Ceballos and Figueroa paintings.

No civil architecture of importance was built in colonial Santafé. The Royal Hearing operated in rented houses and the Viceroy Palace in a house acquired from a former conqueror. Mint House –currently Luis Ángel Arango Library Exposition Room - was built in the second half of the XVIII century and was the only civil construction of importance.

Colonial houses had one or two floors, with continuous facades and eaves over the street to protect pedestrians from the rain. The main door opened on the hall, a large corridor ending in the back door leading to the house, distributed around the first patio, which bordered by a corridor provided surrounding rooms and dining room sufficient light; in the center a fountain and on sunny days the meeting place.

The receiving room was located at the front. Around the second patio domestic work places and servants room, in the back the yard to cultivate vegetables, usually planted with some fruit trees. Thick adobe walls, columns or straight feet, wooden balconies, kneeling rails and clay tile roof, called “española”, were some domestic architecture characteristics, one example of which is La Candelaria neighborhood

During the XIX urban grid consolidated by construction in empty plots an premises preserved from Colonial times. The city expanded to the north and west thanks to streets built during the Colony. The tramway connected downtown and Chapinero village. Railroad stations located on old western alameda, subsequently Colon Avenue, became expansion incentive in that direction. Densification allowed for providing houses to a larger number of people with no need for neighborhoods creation up to the second half of the XIX century, and to follow trends of the time old large colonial houses were remodeled to match republican spirit.

Bolívar Plaza in the XIX century
Old Plaza Mayor space transformed from 1846 when the name was changed to Bolívar Plaza and new buildings were erected. The first was the Cathedral, finished in 1823 on eastern plaza side. In 1848 Arrubla Galleries were inaugurated, a enormous three story building occupying the western side; luxurious shops opened their doors in the first floor and municipal administration office occupied the second floor. For National Capitol – Senate of the Republic house – construction the entire south side was reserved. Danish architect Thomas Reed was responsible for the project, and he managed neoclassic language floor drawings design. Inaugurated in 1926, 80 years after start. In the north sector some colonial homes remained while other of the republican style were built and remained up to mid XX century, when they were demolished to build the Palace of Justice, currently completing Bolívar Plaza frame.


XIX century republican architecture
Late XIX century and early XX century architecture is named republican for its relation to first Republic century political and cultural situation. Most representative republican architecture works were promoted by the State as government, administration, assistance services and culture offices.
During the Colony the market took place at Plaza Mayor; to clear the plaza, in 1861 the new Central Market construction began, located in former La Conception grove, where it remained up to 1950 when it was demolished to give way to carrera tenth.

Thomas Reed, National Capitol architect, started building the jail known as the Panóptico of Cundinamarca, with a cruciform plant. Wide proportion spaces allowed for adaptation in 1948 as National Museum.

Late in the XIX century two large theatres were inaugurated in Bogotá: the Theater of Colón, built in former Coliseum de Ramírez premises at calle 10, projected by Italian architect Pietro Cantini and inaugurated twice, the first time before finishing the construction and the second in 1895, when already finished. Theatre architecture and decoration are neoclassic. It has a large parquet where during the first XX century decades elegant dinners and gala receptions took place, three floors for boxes and a gallery in the upper floor. On the second floor façade the foyer, interior republican architecture jewel, conceived by specially invited Italians. The Municipal theatre was projected by Bogotá architect Mariano Santamaría and inaugurated in 1890. The theater featured theatre, dance shows, cultural events of importance and in certain occasions political journeys.

Republican homes
First republican homes of Bogotá resulted from colonial homes remodeling. Late in the XIX century new house types according to tastes, needs and life style of Bogotanians fashioned. Large houses built downtown kept the main patio and corridor with surrounding rooms layout. Main bedrooms were located in the second floor and the first floor was used for commercial stores and offices opening to the street, and service quarters in the back of the house. Originally Echeverry Palace, currently Ministry of the Interior offices, was a set of houses projected and built early in the XX century by French architect Gastón Lelarge, to whom we owe Bogotanian domestic taste for French trend.

In Chapinero sector a special home type called “quintas”, were built known at first as recreation homes to later become permanently inhabited homes. When their importance and size increased the were named Villas. Some covered extensive premises to the north of the city. One example is Villa Adelaida residence of Don Agustín Nieto Caballero, founder of Gimnasio Moderno school located on Carrera Seventh between calle 70 and 71. Gastón Lelarge projected the Villa assisted by Pablo de la Cruz. Currently only one of those “quintas” remains at the corner of calle 47 and carrera 13.

During the first fifty years Bogotá grew lineally towards the north, with disperse fragments linked by tramway routes and all colonial trails converted into urban streets. Between Bogotá and Chapinero the first residential neighborhoods imposing the new urban model were erected: the continuous façade scheme was discontinued and the house surrounded by gardens model imposed. To the south and west popular workers neighborhoods began and voids left by growth took a long time to consolidate.
During those years four important parks were built: Independence Park, inaugurated in 1910 to hold Century Industrial Fair; Luna Park (1921) to the south and Gaitán Park (1922) to the north with artificial lakes and mechanical attractions. Olaya Herrera National Park, (1934), became the city garden, a place for citizens to meet, and subsequently cultural, sports and recreational activities site.
The decade of the 30s meant an important Bogotá urban development landmark.

Austrian urbanism expert Karl Brunner, arrived in the city in 1933, was the first Municipality Urbanism Department Director. He planned city expansion in several directions, laid out Bosque Izquierdo, Palermo and El Campín developments, and projected Centenario and el Popular Modelo del Norte workers neighborhoods. He was responsible for Bogotá foundation Fourth Century Work Plan, which included Vitelma water treatment plant, the first modern water distribution system and new streets construction: Caracas Avenue on former north railroad, Centenario Avenue to the west, Paseo Bolívar on eastern hillside and Jiménez de Quesada Avenue completion over San Francisco river bed.

By government initiative in 1936 university campus was organized to group National University faculties disperse around city downtown. A large plot located on the western edge near the railroad – now Ciudad de Quito Avenue - was used for that purpose. Based on Fritz Karsen pedagogic proposal Leopoldo Rother prepared University Campus urban plan, the first modern urbanism example based on a set of independent buildings linked by concentrically built streets. First buildings architecture applied rationalist principles and ornament deprived aesthetics, originating the White City name preserved from that time.

In 1948, in preparation for the Pan-American Conference, to take place in Bogotá, Americas Avenue linking Techo airport, built in 1930, and the rest of the city was built, and adorned by sculpture works. Following Jorge Eliécer Gaitán murder on April 9, 1948, violent population upraise ended in the destruction of a large downtown portion. As a consequence, reconstruction plans applying densification and modernization standards emerged. Bogotá urbanite trend was substantially modified to start new urban development phase, thus modifying habits and ways of life.

Republican to modern architecture transition
Between 1900 and 1950 Bogotá architecture transformed. Republican architecture was first consolidated, the best constructions of which period were those built in the XX century. During a second phase republican preference was abandoned to adopt the British style, basically for north homes, and during the third phase modern architecture concepts and the respective construction techniques application began.

Some of the most outstanding republican buildings are the work of Gastón Lelarge. One of them Liévano building, built from 1904 on Arrubla Galleries remains on Plaza de Bolívar western side. Currently Mayor of Bogotá Township, Palacio de la Carrera, now Casa de Nariño and President of the Republic home, was inaugurated 1908. Lelarge and Bogotanian architect Julián Lombana took part in that construction. San Francisco construction began in 1917 and was completed in 1933; Architect Arturo Jaramillo took part in that construction. Initially occupied by the Governor of Cundinamarca offices and now Rosario University home.

British style was adopted late in the decade of the 20s. Imported by Chilean architects Julio Casanovas and Raúl Mannheim, who applied it for the first time in La Merced neighborhood, now historical wealth of the city. Subsequently the style propagated to Teusaquillo, La Magdalena, Quinta Camacho, El Nogal and El Retiro neighborhoods.

The National Library was one of the first modern buildings. Projected by Alberto Wills Ferro and inaugurated in 1938. Between 1936 and 1950 University Campus and some of the best campus buildings were built: those of Law, Architecture and Engineering faculties, in which Alberto Wills Ferro, Erich Lange, Ernesto Blumenthal, Leopoldo Rother and Bruno Violi participated. Rother projected the Print building, currently the home of Architecture Museum named after him.

By the mid 30s the first two city stadiums construction began: Alfonso López at National University campus, projected by Leopoldo Rother, and the Municipal near former El Campín hacienda, by architect Luis A. Gutiérrez. Inaugurated in 1938, by Bolivariano Games part of Bogotá fourth century festivities. For bullfights in 1936 Santamaría Bull Ring was put to service but the facade was only finished in 1948.

Cuéllar Serrano Gómez architects and engineers firm, organized in 1933, completed several modern works such as San Carlos Hospital for consumption treatment and the new San Juan de Dios hospital, adjoining old Republican Hospital. Caja Colombiana de Ahorros building was the first 14 floor large street structure built in Bogotá.

This phase started thanks to urban experts and architects generation graduated from National University Faculty of Architecture – the first organized in the country – and their desire to modernize. Those professionals took advantage of destruction caused by April 9, 1948 uprising to justify city urbanism reprogramming. The presence of Charles Edouard Jeanneret Le Corbusier, French urbanism exert architect, who stimulated the project signaling the importance of water flows crossing the city, valuated eastern hills as the background city curtain and implemented still current preference streets system legally operating.

Demographic explosion however, overflowed growth forecasts and the city had to reprogram urban plans in response to pressure derived from accelerated growth, giving rise to dichotomy between the planned city and the spontaneous city, a situation affecting urban development in the second half of the XX century and new millennium start. Migrating groups started some sort of urban settlement, invasion plots, pirate neighborhoods and progressive homes construction disregarding planning standards and absence of essential services. To solve the problem, government agencies assumed the task to provide planned economic housing originating substantial urban development in the city outskirts: Territorial Credit Institute promoted Unidad Vecinal de Muzú, Antonio Nariño Urban Center and Quiroga neighborhood early in the decade of the 50s, while Kennedy neighborhood developed during the next decade.

Banco Central Hipotecario covered low and mid income sectors need for homes, promoted numerous projects of great architectural quality, such as Veraguas, La Soledad, Polo Club and Niza neighborhoods and multifamily condominiums located on carrera 30 and calle 26.
Bogotá International Center was projected for former Military School grounds and other surrounding premises located in San Diego sector. Complex building started in 1960 and was completed twenty years later. Those buildings, the highest of the city, house State agencies, bank and financial institutions, first class hotels and commercial establishments. Beer brewery land is now occupied by Bavaria Central Park next to the International Center, and includes offices and commercial establishments.

In 1980 La Candelaria Corporation was organized, and is currently responsible for all cultural goods of interest property of the Capital District and annexed municipalities’ functional nucleus. The Corporation is responsible for protecting city historical and architectural wealth, managing historical downtown, promoting public space and buildings intervention, supporting and developing cultural activities.

New urban developments
Nueva Santafé housing project formed part of a revolutionary urban renewal plan promoted by Banco Central Hipotecario between 1983 and 1989. Project building required old Santa Bárbara artisan neighborhood located to the south of historical downtown partial demolishing. To the south of the city Banco Central Hipotecario built El Tunal neighborhood, large apartment complex destined to average income families, using solar heating system for the first time. In 1938 Ciudadela El Salitre construction began on a former hacienda land, located on the current geographic center. Intensive building activities take place in the area generating new business centers, housing complexes, a recreational park, church, mall and Maloka Interactive Center.