JAC
Between requisitions and raids, this school’s history has been linked to Venezuelan politics. Some personages that would later stand out in public life studied in these classrooms. Marx and Lenin’s ideas were taught there for the first time, acting as a breeding ground for leftist movements. Its construction involved great technical efforts, as it is located over the Caroata stream. It was placed on a continuous plane, avoiding the use of stairways, and putting the longest façade towards the block from Solis to Marcos Parra. The functionalist cubic building has three stories in the classroom bodies and two in the complementary areas. It is organized by a longitudinal body, from which three parallel bodies emerge perpendicularly, forming courtyards. Each branch, with equal proportions, has different uses (administration and library, cultural areas, classrooms, laboratories and gym). The auditorium at the south end breaks the symmetry and becomes a main feature. The façade, with large windows, has a play of horizontal planes combined with vertical volumes, providing balance to the complex. Near the Palace of Miraflores, the high school was a protest site until it was closed in 1956. Reopened years later, it was a conflict area until 1980. The Fermín Toro has been restored and is part of Caracas’ modern architectural heritage.
DF-31