As a Historic Site, the house is interesting from a historical and architectural perspective. It was built between 1733 and 1735 by a member of the Meade family, of Irish descent, one of whose members was José Murphy y Meade (a politician who managed to make Santa Cruz the capital city of the Archipelago). On 6 May 2010 the process was started to have the Casa Borges-Estévanez designated Cultural Heritage Asset, under the Historic Site category.
His nephews, Nicolás and Patricio Estévanez Murphy, were usual residents of the house and were to be major local and national cultural and political figures in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The former set down the bases for Canarian nationalism; the latter was an outstanding journalist. His son-in-law, Francisco Borges Salas, a reputed painter and sculptor, also lived in the house. The house was bought from their heirs in 2007. The “Cabildo de Tenerife” took care of its refurbishment and now uses it for cultural purposes.
It was a family home and also welcomed other historic figures like Berthelot, O`Donnell, Blasco Ibáñez or Coquet. Also, political meetings were held in the building with Valentín Sanz, Agustín Guimera, Gil-Roldán, Teobaldo Power and Alfonso Dugour. It is a large country house and estate located in Santa María de Gracia. The house measures some 500 sq. m. plus 12,000 sq. m. of land. The building is U-shaped, with the north section larger and featuring a paved courtyard facing south. The upper floor has a gallery closed by small windows. The façade has a closed balcony on the upper floor. A noteworthy feature is a large vaulted water tank with a square curb. The estate also includes several outbuildings, some have little heritage value, like the former stables or artist Borges Salas’s studio.
