Interrupted Modernity in Santiago de Chile: The Political Afterlife of the Ochagavía Hospital

The Political Afterlife of the Ochagavía Hospital

Abstract

The Ochagavía Hospital serves as a tangible reminder of Chile’s interrupted modernist aspirations and shifting political ideologies. Conceived in the late 1960s under the principles of the Welfare State, it was envisioned as the largest public healthcare facility in the country, bringing high-complexity services to Santiago’s southwestern periphery. Designed with a “tower and slab” typology and influenced by international references such as the Saint-Lô Hospital in France, the project embodied hygienic principles and the role of modern architecture in promoting social equity. However, construction was halted following the 1973 military coup, and for four decades the building remained unfinished, informally appropriated by nearby communities, artists, and activists. This article analyzes the architectural, political, and symbolic trajectory of the Ochagavía Hospital, focusing on how its form, location, and evolving uses reflect broader transformations in Chile’s political economy. Combining critical architectural analysis, historiographic research, and the study of visual and literary archives, the article examines how the hospital became both a symbol of abandoned utopia and a stage for memory and resistance. Particular attention is given to the building’s resignification during the dictatorship, including the performance “Suda-mérica” by Pedro Lemebel and interventions by Lotty Rosenfeld. In 2013, the hospital was sold and converted into a logistics and office center, erasing its original public intent and marking the final step in its privatization. As an unfinished modernist project turned commercial infrastructure, the Ochagavía Hospital exposes the effects of neoliberal reforms on public architecture, while also revealing the layered meanings that emerge from spatial abandonment and reappropriation. The building’s transformation stands as a poignant reminder of Chile’s intricate political, social, and economic history. Its unfinished state offers a critical lens through which to understand the broader urban consequences of Chile’s political transitions and the enduring legacy of neoliberalism.