Biblioteca Santiago Severín

[2] In its early years, the library was originally housed within some available rooms of the Courts of Justice before then being moved to another location on what is today Calle Edwards between 1912 and 1919.

During this time, Santiago Severin Espina, a businessman and philanthropist from Valparaíso, Chile began donating funds to begin the construction of a more suitable and permanent building to house the library’s growing collection.

This structure was designed by the architects Arnaldo Barison and Renato Schiavon, and built by the engineer Augusto Geiger.

In the 1980s the library was reopened after undergoing several important refurbishments to the original construction including a new basement and additions to its various interior rooms and collections.

Donations provided by various institutions such as Universidad Católica de Valparaíso and the Consejo de la Cultura y las Artes, allowed for the rebuilding of the library and the future development of additional infrastructure improvements including accessibility to patrons with disabilities, updated lighting and furniture.