Casa del Tigre

Those who like to walk through the center of our historic quarter will know the street Calle Amparo, halfway between Plaza de San Martín and Pozo Santo. Well, in this street, on the facade of number 9, you see the remarkable tile, which alludes to the old existence of a tiger in this house. As the stories about the tiger and the building go hand in hand, let us remember and you will find the explanation of this now famous "tiger jump".

The "Casa del Tigre", as it has been known for more than fifty years, was built in 1898 on behalf of the former military governor of the city of Seville and knight in the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Pedro Parias González, as his private residence. This building was built on the site of an old 16th-century Inn, known as the Inn of Santa Teresa, after Santa Teresa de Ávila spent the night there, and on an old 17th-century residential house. These buildings have always been surrounded by ancient legends.

After the construction of the last building at the end of the 19th century it became the official residence of the governor of the city. The main entrance of the building was aimed at the façade of Calle Don Pedro, which allowed access to a large courtyard with columns and romantic spiral stairs connecting the guest to the upper floor, giving it a nineteenth century appearance. The facade of the Amparistraat was the old service facade, through the main door of which the master's coaches entered, until the second marble staircase, which was connected to the upper floor.

In 1943, after the death of Governor Parias, the building was bought and sold to Don Isacio de Contreras, a well-known aristocrat and politician from the city of Seville, from Alcalá la Real, in the province of Jaén. Due to the poor condition of maintenance it had to be almost completely renovated. This renovation took place in 1956, when the orientation of the main entrance of the house was changed toward Calle Amparo, the facade of this street was reformed and the building was divided into several independent buildings which today are commercial spaces occupi by the oldest craftsmen of the city, including sculptors, engravers, guilds and embroidery, two apartments on the first floor and one apartment on the first floor.

The building was rented by the Contreras family to the family of the famous poet Saenz de Andino, after which it was rented to Don Javier Lasaleta del Clos, director of the zoo of Jerez de la Frontera. This tenant owned two tigers, whom he had hunted and bred on one of his frequent trips to Africa. When they were bred in captivity, he kept them in the building for more than ten years as pets, and it was then that it started to be called "La casa del Tigre" (the House of the Tiger).

After the use of the building had been transferred back to the owner's family, a new renovation began in 1977, which restored beams and reinforced old walls that had been removed from the old 16th and 17th century houses during the previous renovation. It became the family home of the current owners in 1978.

Today, the owners of the building have tried to keep the history and unique character of the house alive by respecting the old layout at all times, keeping it in the best possible condition of preservation and bringing in a large collection of family pieces, Closely linked to the history of the city and Spain. And on the facade of Calle Amparo they were so kind to add a tile that reminds the inhabitants of Seville of the history of the tiger of the director of the zoo of Jerez.