Hotel Franc?s collapsed in Zona Colonial

[karlheinz]

it's done - walked by today, looks like the entire front of the building collapsed into the street. I highly doubt it's rebuildable and looks like the rest could crumble down any moment.
the only part remaining is the extension on the west side and "now" they are trying to shore up foundations like they should have earlier.

 

[Hector L]

I was at one restaurant on Merino and there was a heavy rain....the rain was on the floor and all of the staff was mopping and trying to get the rainfall out of the restaurant. This was a rather upscale restaurant. Without sewers and with the street the same level of the restaurant, it was just natural that the water flowed into the recently remodeled and opened business.

 

[NALs]

Anyone that has been to Cap Cana knows very well that colonial style buildings are perfectly rebuildable and they can be made to look time worn too, as long as the funds and the will exist. There are plenty of photos of the facades and interior of the building, and official floor plans probably exist too, and all of that can be used to rebuilt it or to build a replica.

Also in Europe many historic buildings have been rebuilt, even historic cities after a natural or man made disaster. The technique and possibility certainly exists.

 

[rubio_higuey]

Question remains, who will pay for the damage? And what I still fail to understand, how can a reconstruction of Colonial Zone (embellecimiento) can cause a building collapse, and what were they digging nearby/underneath? I somehow fail to connect the dots.

 

[TropicalPaul]

A lot of local people are saying that this chaos is intentional. One of the very rich families - name begins with a V - has bought a lot, and I mean a LOT, of property in the Colonial Zone. Fact. They have a plan to convert a lot of this into hotels and tourist businesses. Fact. The remodelling works have taken so long, and have been done so badly, that they have closed down a lot of businesses. Fact. Hotels such as Europa and Hodelpa have definitely struggled, the remodelling has led to a lot of noise, dust and horrible conditions for their guests. This has gone on for over a year, just read their Tripadvisor reviews to see the impact on their businesses. The former Hotel Atarazana, number 1 on Tripadvisor, decided to close apparently because they couldn't stand the fact that the remodelling and building a car park right in front of the hotel was beginning to have serious affects on their guests. And now the Frances has fallen down. The first of the new hotels owned by the rich family is, "strangely", not in a street affected by the remodelling. I know we like to think this is just good old fashioned Dominican chaos, but there may be a grain of truth in the conspiracy theories.

 

[mofongoloco]

Zone colonial is nice, but it ain't cartagena. Not even close to Granada Nicaragua. They (who they are idk) are going to ruin it. Yes it is a little grungy, but that part of its charm. The restored area of Panama City is like a ghost town of empty restaurants. The unrestored area which is very much like the CZ is filled with street life and crappy restaurants filled to the brim with locals eating cheap food. Dominicans need to decide that the CZ is hip and cool. Upscale Dominicans are needed to support these businesses. Not tourists. Very few tourists walk around in nice clothes. It's mostly shorts, tshirt and flip flop tourists I notice. CZ is cool, but it isn't glamorous. I have noticed a few small designer type stores selling nice merchandise. Artsy type ceramics. One store inexplicably specializing in espadrilles. Too bad for them I just bought a dozen pair at nordstroms online at deep discount. I've been ticking off a list of the better restaurants. Each one has been disappointing.

They need designers and artists, even if it means a little subsidy to get it going. And they need more cops roaming around and they need to interact with the tourists more. Make them (us) feel safe. They should get English lessons and extra pay for proficiency.

 

[Kipling333]

There has been a broken water pipe outside the entrance TO Hotel Franc?s for at least two months and the road has been impassable. The cars on A Merino have been stopped 100 yardas short of the c?rner near the p?blic garage..There is not the slightest doubt that da ave to the found foundations Was a result of the appalling work in that part of ZC..The authorities are morons

 

[HUG]

I was at one restaurant on Merino and there was a heavy rain....the rain was on the floor and all of the staff was mopping and trying to get the rainfall out of the restaurant. This was a rather upscale restaurant. Without sewers and with the street the same level of the restaurant, it was just natural that the water flowed into the recently remodeled and opened business.

water flowing downhill is too logical a thought. I went into the new bathrooms of a nice restaurant in the Zona a while back. The whole upstairs had been closed for about 3 months for this remodelling, and finding more money to complete it. On entering the new 'lavish' toilets I went into one of the stalls to see that the door could not be closed behind me, the toilet had been installed while the door was open backover, and just left. I looked at the other, both the same. Been there so long I didn't even find it surprising! Anywhere else I would have gone back to my seat, made a joke about it etc. Only on reflection of the place as a whole can I ponder......... hopeless!

 

[xstew]

The unfortunate thing is their will be no survey of why it collapsed. Things will go on with people saying what a shame then others will come down and people will say what a shame. I have lived here more than 35 years and i will never be able to understand Dominican thinking. If this happened in colonial Willamsburg people would be looking out from between bars. Yes buildings can be replaced and rebuilt but somehow to me the feeling changes. Maybe i believe in ghosts!

 

[TropicalPaul]

Dominicans need to decide that the CZ is hip and cool. Upscale Dominicans are needed to support these businesses. Not tourists.

Please no. A few years ago, "upscale Dominicans" decided that the Zona was hip and cool, which meant bars and nightclubs. Of course everyone had to park right outside, the bars opened until whenever they wanted and the noise was unbelievable. Eventually a campaign was started to reduce the noise, a lot of the bars closed and the Dominicans have stopped coming. Hip and Cool means noisy, the design of the buildings echoes noise, and nobody wants a return to that. Let's stick to our 40 / 50 / 60 year old tourists, these are the ones spending the money.

 

[TropicalPaul]

Question remains, who will pay for the damage? And what I still fail to understand, how can a reconstruction of Colonial Zone (embellecimiento) can cause a building collapse, and what were they digging nearby/underneath? I somehow fail to connect the dots.

Insurance I guess. Someone in Seguros Universal will walk in with their "I've been on the beach all weekend" hangover on Tuesday morning and have to sort this one out, lucky them.

 

[AlterEgo]

They need designers and artists, even if it means a little subsidy to get it going. And they need more cops roaming around and they need to interact with the tourists more. Make them (us) feel safe. They should get English lessons and extra pay for proficiency.

I agree, and a good example is Casa Quien, an art gallery opened last year on Arz. Nouel by a young artist we know well. She attended college in the US, speaks English fluently.

Comming Soon
https://www.facebook.com/casadequien?fref=ts

 

[xstew]

UNESCO has a catagory that the Zona Colonial should be included in ASAP.

List of world heritage in danger

This forces involvement of UNESCO funds and participation in the declared danger zones.

If we get enough people sending asking for UNESCO help we may save the Zona Colonial. THIS must stop now!!

wh-info@unesco.org

 

[ZC1]

If someone with some brains does not request the President to dismiss all involved in this project right now! Their will be no World heritage to see except a pile of dirt and bricks. This is the kind of result you get when you let thieves get a hold on a money project. They just go for the money forget about the Patria. That building in my mind represented the most beautiful of all the Z.C. Homes. RIP

I just called the Organization of World Heritage Cities in Quebec, an offshoot of UNESCO that was put in place to assist member cities with managing the preservation of historical sites. I was upset but not surprised to learn that the DR is a member but NOT IN GOOD STANDING. In short, the country fails to pay it's dues. Can you imaging starting a restoration project of this magnitude and not seeking assistance and advice from an organization who's staff are experts? Instead of paying nominal dues and seeking guidance they prefer to hand over millions of borrowed dollars to unqualified engineers who wasted much of it on coral stone sidewalks that are already filthy, cheaply made posts intended to keep pedestrians safe from cars driving on the same grade as the sidewalk. Many are already bent. If anyone reading this lives in the ZC take a walk to the entrance of Conde at Merino and look at the new sidewalk (if taxis are not parked on top) - it is filthy and irony is it sits next door to the Ayuntamiento who should be responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the ZC. It is a shame that there are foreign born residents like me who care more about the well being of this historical city than many Dominicans who hold the power to implement change for the better. Corruption, Greed and Ignorance needs to be stopped.

 

[Criss Colon]

A lot of local people are saying that this chaos is intentional. One of the very rich families - name begins with a V - has bought a lot, and I mean a LOT, of property in the Colonial Zone. Fact. They have a plan to convert a lot of this into hotels and tourist businesses. Fact. The remodelling works have taken so long, and have been done so badly, that they have closed down a lot of businesses. Fact. Hotels such as Europa and Hodelpa have definitely struggled, the remodelling has led to a lot of noise, dust and horrible conditions for their guests. This has gone on for over a year, just read their Tripadvisor reviews to see the impact on their businesses. The former Hotel Atarazana, number 1 on Tripadvisor, decided to close apparently because they couldn't stand the fact that the remodelling and building a car park right in front of the hotel was beginning to have serious affects on their guests. And now the Frances has fallen down. The first of the new hotels owned by the rich family is, "strangely", not in a street affected by the remodelling. I know we like to think this is just good old fashioned Dominican chaos, but there may be a grain of truth in the conspiracy theories.

Thanks for saving me the time to post!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was a "planned" accident!!!!!!
You will see what now takes over the space!!!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

 

[xstew]

I doubt if this was planned the people involved with the project can not read or write. In order to plane an operation of this order you need some one who will gain from it . This came about because the Haitians did not understand Spanish. And the Dominicans did not care.

 

[xstew]

I doubt if this was planned the people involved with the project can not read or write. In order to plane an operation of this order you need some one who will gain from it . This came about because the Haitians did not understand Spanish. And the Dominicans did not care.
In order to demolish a W.H. site you have to be insane or incredibly greedy. I think it is the latter. Get paid use illegal labor, inferior materials,no common sense, cover all mistakes with cream colored bricks and fancy aluminum poles. Buy one way tickets to Miami and live happily ever after!!

 

[Franco 66]

I have great memories of this beautiful building,and i am a little angry.
Zona Colonia can be a great place,maybe start with the wild dogs crapping in the middle of El Conde.That **** has got to stop.

 

[xstew]

Don't worry a building will fall down and kill all the dogs.

 

[ZC1]

Se derrumba parte del Hotel Franc?s de la Zona Colonial - Diario Libre Movil

One of the nicest hotels in the colonial zone collapsed partly because of the excavations they have been doing around the place. It was closed for a few days already because the owner of the hotel was afraid this could happen, apparently she was right.

Nobody got hurt.

I got married in this hotel, it's a shame to see it's a ruin now.

I learned today that over a week ago Claro/Codetel crews worked in the trench and a Claro supervisor advised the lead engineer that reinforcement was needed before work continued. Clearly the advice was not taken. Of course, adding proper reinforcement to the trench would cost money and eat away at the profits being made. Why did this occur and who's fault is it?

They started the project without proper studies being conducted. Without the studies being made the bid failed to require precautions be taken to secure the adjacent buildings made from Arcilla y Barro (ground stone and clay) - remember that there wasn't any rebar in the 1500's. Then because of the lack of game plan and poor communication before starting the project pressure mounted to speed up the work. Instead of starting and finishing one street at a time these geniuses ripped apart several streets at once thinking it was more efficient. It wasn't more efficient but perhaps more profitable. Thus residents and business owners complained. A few weeks ago even the President ordered the work be sped up and completed.

And so now you will now see the pointing of fingers. I already heard crew members blaming the management of the hotel for they were fed up with the noise and asked the crews to hurry the project along resulting in an all day drilling fest on Saturday. A professional engineer should not rush a job due to peer pressure. They should not take short cuts to save money.

But of course, they do it, both here in the DR as well as anyplace else in the world when inspection is absent. Too early to say but I suspect that the blame truly lies with the government agency who heads the project up. They put the bid specs together without a proper assessment being made,they rolled out the timeline and they FAILED TO INSPECT. For starters Medina needs to fire the head of Mitur, Patrimony, and the ADN immediately. The DR needs to pay its dues to UNESCO and ask for assistance.