Location: 59 Libertad Street, Santiago
Preservation Status: None
La Universidad Arcis is a private educational project, oriented toward the teaching of art, social sciences, humanities and education. It was founded in 1982, in the middle of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, and emerged as a possibility of providing a place for professionals in the fields mentioned above.
During its development and consolidation it established eight educational campuses. Its headquarters is located in Yungay District, at 59 Libertad Street.
Universidad Arcis’s main campus at 59 Liberty Street, is recognized as the historic center of Santiago, in the territory recognized as part of the Libertad Foundry: the Libertad Foundry entered into operations in 1877, under the ownership of Baeuerle y Cia., Francisco Küpfer König and Roberto Strickler. The latter, Swiss immigrants and mechanical engineers by profession, would after the death of Bäuerle asume control of the foundry, promoting new industrial techniques that were being developed in Europe in order to encourage the nascent manufacturing industry. The foundry sought to promote local development and to decrease the dependence of the country on the international markets.
The foundry, with its head office at 54 Liberty Street, was located in the emblematic Yungay District, an area bordered to the east by Negrete Street, to the west by Matucana Avenue, to the north by San Pablo Street and to the south by Alameda.
This sector is abundant in large industries and warehousing, part of the industrial process and urbanization forged in the country, where iron production and manufacturing processes strengthen industrialization. It should be remembered that during the War of the Pacific (1879-1883) and the implementation of the railway, there was a need for an increase of heavy machinery. At the same time, this helps to create social bonds among factory workers, reinforcing the processes of unionization and cooperative organization, and above all, the creation of social demands for culture, sports and education.
The entire sector connected with the city port of Valparaiso through the extension of the road from San Pablo.