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Where Quito’s History Finds a New Home
Across from the Santa Clara Monastery, whose bells have marked Quito’s mornings for centuries, stands a house that has quietly observed the many lives of Plaza Santa Clara. The plaza itself once hosted the city’s first covered market. Today, this historic residence has been reborn as Casa Santa Clara — a boutique stay rooted in the heart of the Historic Center.
The Santa Clara Market, once the heart of daily life in Quito’s Old Town.
Lovingly restored by Ecuadorian architects MCM+A, the house preserves the bones of the past while opening them to light, comfort, and design. The project earned both the city’s Ornato Prize and a Gubbio Award Honorable Mention for its work in heritage restoration.
But Casa Santa Clara isn’t just about preservation; it’s about participation. Together with neighbors like the Monasterio de Santa Clara and Museo del Alabado, the house forms part of a wider movement to bring this plaza back to life — a cultural ecosystem where history, art, and community meet.
The Santa Clara Monastery, founded in 1596 — a quiet witness to Quito’s centuries of change.
Casa Santa Clara beside the 16th-century Santa Clara Monastery, with Quito’s iconic Virgen del Panecillo watching over the plaza.
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