The Boarding Houses of the 1950s: The Secret of Medellín's Old Neighborhoods for Nostalgic Travelers

Origins

Medellín was not always the city of glass skyscrapers and gleaming shopping malls you see today. In the 1950s, the city was a hive of workers, merchants, and peasants arriving from the countryside with a cardboard suitcase and the dream of a better future. Industrialization was in full swing: textile factories like Coltejer and Fabricato drew thousands of people from towns in Antioquia and other departments. The problem was where to put all these people.

Formal hotels were expensive and scarce. Working-class neighborhoods were just beginning to expand. So, as a popular and almost spontaneous response, boarding houses appeared. They were large family homes, many in the traditional republican or Antioquian style, with inner courtyards, long hallways, and several rooms. The family that owned the house rented out rooms by the night or month, and offered home-cooked meals, laundry service, and above all, a home-like atmosphere for the newcomer.

In those years, a boarding house was much more than a place to sleep. It was the first stop for the provincial newcomer arriving in the city. There, they would meet other recent arrivals, hear advice on how to find work at the factory, and learn to navigate downtown. The owner of the boarding house, often an elderly man or a widow, became a kind of urban godfather. Boarding houses flourished in neighborhoods like La Candelaria, Buenos Aires, San Antonio, and the areas around Parque de Berrío, right where the commercial and bureaucratic heart of the city was located.

By the 1960s and 1970s, it is estimated that there were hundreds of these boarding houses just in downtown Medellín. They were the city's first massive popular accommodation system, long before tourist hostels or Airbnb-type apartments existed. Their model was simple: a clean bed, abundant food, and conversation. And that spirit, though diminished, still survives in a few addresses that few tourists know about.

Timeline or historical milestones

1940s-1950s: The industrial boom and massive arrival

With the expansion of Coltejer (founded in 1907 but massified in the 40s) and the creation of new factories, Medellín went from 150,000 inhabitants in 1938 to almost 400,000 in 1951. The first boarding houses emerged in two-story houses near the train station and Plaza de Cisneros. They were informal businesses, unregistered, governed by trust and word of mouth.

1950-1960: The golden age of boarding houses

The model consolidates. Famous boarding houses appear, such as Pensión Colonial (Calle 49 with Carrera 46) and others on Calle Amador. They offer breakfast with arepa, egg, and hot chocolate, lunch of bandeja paisa or sancocho, and a light dinner. The price included everything. They became the center of social life for the single worker or the student coming from the provinces to study at the University of Antioquia.

1970-1980: Crisis and urban transformation

Downtown Medellín begins to densify and deteriorate in certain areas. The first multi-story budget hotels appear. Many boarding houses close or turn into tenements (long-term shared housing). However, some survive thanks to a loyal clientele of small-town business travelers and wholesale merchants.

1990-2000: The hard times

Drug trafficking and urban violence hit downtown hard. Boarding houses suffer stigmatization: they are associated with squalid, unsafe, and dirty housing. Many disappear or become warehouses. Those that survive do so hidden, without flashy signs, run by lifelong families who resist state neglect.

2010-2026: Tourist resurgence and nostalgia

With the tourism boom in Medellín starting in 2010, some alternative travelers begin seeking out these boarding houses as an authentic experience, far from generic hostels. As of July 2026, fewer than 20 authentic boarding houses from the 1950s are still operating in the historic center. They are hidden gems for backpackers and photographers looking for the Medellín of yesteryear.

Key characters or events

Doña Rosa, the matron of Pensión El Viajero

On Carrera 45 with Calle 44, in the heart of the San Antonio neighborhood, Pensión El Viajero operated for over 40 years. Doña Rosa, a lady from Sonsón who arrived in Medellín in 1952, personally attended to generations of guests. She became famous because every night, after dinner, she would gather everyone in the courtyard to drink tinto (black coffee) and tell stories about her hometown. When she died in 1998, the boarding house closed the following year. Her daughter still lives in the house, but no longer takes in guests. Neighbors say the smell of coffee and bread can still be felt in the hallway.

Don Jesús, the owner of Pensión Colonial

Don Jesús Bedoya bought the house of Pensión Colonial in 1965. Today, at 87 years old, he still sits at the reception, listening to the radio and welcoming travelers. He is a living encyclopedia of downtown history. He knows which building was Coltejer's first headquarters, where the oldest theater was, and what the streets were called before their names were changed. Many guests repeat their trip just to sit and talk with him. Don Jesús says that as long as he lives, the boarding house is not for sale.

The fire at Pensión La Perla (1964)

A tragic event marked the boarding houses downtown. In 1964, a fire at Pensión La Perla, located near Parque de Berrío, left 12 dead. The incident forced the Mayor's Office to regulate safety conditions: fire extinguishers, emergency exits, and a ban on cooking with firewood inside the rooms. Many boarding houses closed because they could not afford the upgrades. Others, like the Colonial, survived because they already met the basic standards.

The transformation of Calle Amador

Calle Amador, between Carreras 44 and 45, was the quintessential street of boarding houses in the 1950s. It once had more than 15 boarding houses on a single block. Today only two remain. The rest have become clothing stores, recycling warehouses, and a couple of modern hostels that have nothing to do with the original spirit. However, if you walk there carefully, you can still see the wide hallways, carved wooden doors, and inner courtyards that betray what they once were.

Current status

Today, in July 2026, the boarding houses of the 1950s are an endangered species. The gentrification of downtown, the proliferation of cheap backpacker-style hostels, and the legal requirements of the hotel industry have finished off most of them. But refuges still exist for those seeking a genuine experience, without filters or Instagram decoration.

Where to find the last authentic boarding houses

• Buenos Aires neighborhood: On Carrera 46 with Calle 36, Pensión Buenos Aires still operates. It is a two-story house with a yellow tile courtyard. The rooms are simple: a bed, a wooden wardrobe, and a mirror. Shared bathroom. The price in July 2026 is approximately $25,000 COP per night with breakfast included (arepa, egg, hot chocolate). They have no website or online reservations. You arrive and knock on the door.
• La Candelaria: On Calle 44 with Carrera 47, Pensión La Candelaria has been open since 1958. It is run by the Restrepo family. They offer single rooms from $30,000 COP and doubles from $45,000 COP. Includes breakfast and access to the kitchen. The bonus is the inner courtyard with coffee plants and a hammock. It is recommended to check hours before visiting, as they sometimes close temporarily for renovations.
• San Antonio: On Carrera 45 with Calle 42, Pensión San Antonio is the oldest still in operation. It dates back to 1952. The building is in the republican style, with wrought iron columns and a hallway of hydraulic tiles. The current owner, the founder's grandson, charges $35,000 COP per night. However, do not expect WiFi or hot water. The experience is rustic, but authentic.
• Pensión Colonial (Calle 49 with Carrera 46): This is the best-known case among nostalgic travelers. Don Jesús still runs it. It has 8 rooms. Price: $40,000 COP per night with breakfast. It offers a free tour of the historic center for guests who book at least 2 nights. It is the only boarding house that appears in some alternative travel guides, but it remains a cult place, not a mass hostel.

How to tell a historic boarding house from a modernized hostel

Do not be fooled. There are places that sell themselves as "vintage boarding houses" but are hostels with restored furniture and hostel prices. To identify an authentic 1950s boarding house, look for these clues:

1. The hallway: Original boarding houses have a wide hallway (entrance passage) with a floor of hydraulic tile or polished cement. Modern hostels have a lobby-style reception.
2. The inner courtyard: Almost all have a central courtyard with plants, a washbasin (laundry sink), and old plastic or wooden chairs. It is the heart of the house.
3. The furniture: It is original from the 50s or 60s. Solid wood wardrobes, wrought iron beds, mirrors with tortoiseshell frames. If you see IKEA furniture or minimalist style, it is not a historic boarding house.
4. The owner: In an authentic boarding house, the owner lives there. They greet you in slippers, offer you tinto, and ask where you are from. In a hostel, the receptionist is a young employee in uniform.
5. The smell: It sounds strange, but it works. Boarding houses smell of coffee, firewood (if they cook with a coal stove), laundry soap, and courtyard dampness. Hostels smell of disinfectant and artificial air freshener.

Unique experiences: the owner's chat

What makes a boarding house special is not the bed or the breakfast. It is the conversation. At Pensión Colonial, Don Jesús can tell you what Medellín was like when there were only three traffic lights in the entire city, or how he himself met Pablo Escobar when he was a young man selling used cars downtown. At Pensión Buenos Aires, the owner, Doña Lucía, teaches you how to make arepas de chócolo while telling you how she survived the police bombing in 1990.

These chats are not scheduled nor do they have a set time. They happen in the kitchen, while everyone drinks tinto at 6 in the evening, or in the courtyard, after dinner. They are the true luxury of staying in a boarding house. That is why many travelers return: they do not go for the price, they go for the stories.

The decline of a model and how to preserve it with your visit

The boarding houses of the 1950s are dying. One or two close every year. The owners age, the children do not want to inherit the business, and the legal requirements (fire extinguishers, insurance, registration) are increasingly difficult to meet for these family-run homes. However, your visit can make a difference. Staying in one of these places is not just a cheap accommodation option; it is an act of preservation. Every night you sleep in a historic boarding house, you are helping to keep alive a piece of Medellín's social history that no museum can replicate.

If you decide to stay, do so with respect. Talk to the owners, listen to their stories, buy them a coffee, and above all, share your own story. That is the currency that keeps these houses alive. And if you cannot stay, at least pass by, knock on the door, and ask if you can see the courtyard. Most owners will let you in with a smile. Because in the end, a boarding house is not a business: it is a home that never stopped being one.