This research aims to contribute to the field of construction history in Chile, specifically in the seaport city of Valparaiso, in the period between thelate nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which was a time of great economic and urban development. The work of Esteban OrlandoHarrington—a renowned Chilean engineer and architect who designed more than 20 buildings (mostly masonry structures) in the Valparaiso port—was studied. This type of construction is analyzed according to the materials, building systems, and structural criteria used. A review is carried outon historic information and documents, and an inspection of five buildings with the goal of understanding how they were constructively conceivedis done. Here the most significant case is presented for its architectural, historical, and structural characteristics and values: the former Royal Hotel.The results of this research reveal aspects of Valparaiso’s construction history through the work of a professional who adapted foreign techniquesto local conditions, with results that are valued for their architectural quality and good seismic behavior.La presente investigación tiene como objetivo aportar al campo de la historia constructiva y técnica de la arquitectura del puerto de Valparaíso en elperiodo comprendido entre finales del siglo XIX y principios del Siglo XX. Se estudia la obra del reconocido arquitecto - ingeniero Esteban OrlandoHarrington quien diseña y construye más de 20 edificios, muchos de ellos en albañilería de ladrillo. Se analiza esta tipología constructiva desde lacaracterización de los materiales empleados, los criterios estructurales y un detallado levantamiento del sistema constructivo utilizado. De estaaproximación se desprenden atributos del sistema replicado, y presumiblemente mejorado, por el arquitecto – ingeniero Harrington que hacondicionado su permanencia en el tiempo, en una zona de fuerte actividad sísmica.