The Lighting of the Faro A Colón

[NALs]

After many years when the Faro a Colón has not been lighted to form the Christian cross in the sky (basically, a silhuette of the structure itself) due to issues with the original beam lights, the sky will soon the cross once again.

Listín Diario took video footage of the new light test.

PD. What has been done with forgetting the original garden that surrounded the monument, the originsl light fixtures on the ground (not the bean lights which are being replaced as seen in the video), and the abandonment of other parts of the monument is a disgrace. The thing is already built, it was or continues to be the most visited monument in the DR, the least the government can do is give it some maintenance at least every five years or so.

 

[windeguy]

Ironic in a country that can't keep the lights on.

 

[Jan]

They fix it up then let it go. They need to do continued maintenance but that, in general, is not the way here. A few years ago they remodeled the insides and.put new lights outside. They never fixed the fountains. They have been saying for.many.years about.the cross. It would be nice to see it lit, maybe just.on.the.weekends. I have seen it lit in the past.and.it.is.quite beautiful.

 

[JD Jones]

I was just going to mention that. I wonder if it will still project a cross into the sky?

 

[Jan]

Yes. It will still project a cross. Here is some of my research on the Faro a Colón. https://www.colonialzone-dr.com/faro-a-colon/

 

[NALs]

They fix it up then let it go. They need to do continued maintenance but that, in general, is not the way here. A few years ago they remodeled the insides and.put new lights outside. They never fixed the fountains. They have been saying for.many.years about.the cross. It would be nice to see it lit, maybe just.on.the.weekends. I have seen it lit in the past.and.it.is.quite beautiful.

They should do some changes.

1. There was a small monument a part of this one, but in a traffic circle of its own. This needs to be rescued, the names and coat of arms restored and move the restored monument to the lawn area surrounding the Faro a Colón. It would be wise to put in somewhere on the lawn near the Mirador del Este Park and then create the pedestrian infrastructure for visitors to access it during the same visit to the main monument. Ot would also encourage people to go to that side too, which now is devoid of any people tourists or otherwise.

2. The areas between Avenida Estados Unidos and the wall is one huge waste. The government can take that land to build 4-floor apartment buildings with the designed used in many of the recently built ones in Ciudad Juan Bosch. They can be among the affordable types which the government is promoting with several special programs (first home bonus, etc) meant to remove some of the initial costs to buyers.

3. The areas south of the other street next to the Faro a Colón to the wall should go through a similar process as above.

4. Replace the grass with a species (I don’t know the name) that basically requires no cutting, In one lf my aunt grandmother house, it’s quite removed from the road (a rarity in the DR) and the entire front yard from the house to the road is covered in a grass that looks spongey. That grass has been there for as long I can remember, even played there with several then neighbor kids and cousins. To this day, it has never been mowed and never looked “tall” as all other grasses become and require maintenance (ie. mowing). That covers the gardens of the Faro and the maintenance is basically removed. Nothing can be done about turning brown at the time of a drought, but once it begins to rain again it comes back.

5. With the change of the grass and replacing the many trees that have died and are no longer there, garden maintenance is basically left to pruning the trees every few months so they always look manicured and picking up litter.

7. Add a few benches on walkways in the garden, a few garbage cans (the urban furniture types) and maybe some extra LED light fixtures along the walkways to not make them so dark at night.

8. Lastly, the entire perimeter of the Faro needs a fence (typical verja types, not a flimsy cyclone fence) with fancy gates (similar to the one’s at the main entrance to the National Palace) at the three main pedestrian entrance and the entry/exit of the parking lot. When the Faro closes, the gates are shut too. This should help regarding crime, namely theft, which has affected the Faro a Colón (all the original lights that surrounded the Faro -they were quite fancy, Colonial Zone types- were all stolen and had to be replaced with the current ones which are too tiny. So much stuff has happened at the Faro due to thieves, I’m surprised no one tried to steal the resting place of Columbus box and all.)

That place needs a lot of work, IMO. Hopefully several private companies take it upon themselves to do the necessary restoring and changes to the Faro a Colón maybe in partnership with the government. Banco Popular and other companies are always restoring things as part of their giving back to the community that in reality are things the government should be doing, since all these places belong to the government.

That’s easily the principal attraction in SDE. Its even in the city’s coat of arms.

 

[NALs]

SDE Coat of Arms

 

[terantius]

Ironic in a country that can't keep the lights on.

The literal opposite of irony.

 

[NALs]

If the Faro A Colón would had been built by 1951, it would had been the largest monument in the world. I wonder how it measures with today's monuments.

PS. This project wasn't originally a creation of the Trujillo dictatorship given it was decided on the design in the 1920's. Actually, if it would had been created in the Trujillo dictatorship, I'm sure it would had been built within the Era of Trujillo. Building ended with its insuguration in 1992 in celebration of the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of America (1492 - 1992).

 

[Fulano2]

Ironic in a country that can't keep the lights on.

When it was constructed, and this same question came up, Balaguer said :” El pueblo Dominicano no sólo quiere comida pero también una corbata”.
It was ridiculous at that time, whole barrios around the thing without lights and the faro shining.

 

[PJT]

They fix it up then let it go. They need to do continued maintenance but that, in general, is not the way here. A few years ago they remodeled the insides and.put new lights outside. They never fixed the fountains. They have been saying for.many.years about.the cross. It would be nice to see it lit, maybe just.on.the.weekends. I have seen it lit in the past.and.it.is.quite beautiful.

Routine periodic maintenance in the DR is a rare chore. It is not really accepted.

Regards,

PJT. It

 

[Jan]

Many of those barrios don't even pay for electricity

 

[Fulano2]

That might have changed Jan.

 

[NALs]

When it was constructed, and this same question came up, Balaguer said :” El pueblo Dominicano no sólo quiere comida pero también una corbata”.
It was ridiculous at that time, whole barrios around the thing without lights and the faro shining.

I don't see what is the issue some people have with the Faro A Colón being lighted.

The Metro also passes by several neighborhoods when they have a blackout. In the sections where it's over ground at night even the passengers in the Metro can tell which neighborhoods have power and which doesn't by simply looking out the window. The Metro moves with electricity.

The DR also has the most complete electric charging infrastructure for electric cars.

There are many more examples. Some people want to pretend that the blackouts are mainly due to generation, but if that was the case then the Metro would never exist.

 

[Tom F.]

I visited the Faro in 1996 while taking classes at UASD and inside it had booths from different countries around the world. All I remember now is the impression of it glorifying European colonialism in the Americas. Cuba's booth was the exception.

 

[Jan]

That might have changed Jan.

Nope. I just walked around that area, streets and alleys, a few days ago with the dogs and there are no electric meters. Same in most of Simonico.

 

[Fulano2]

I don't see what is the issue some people have with the Faro A Colón being lighted.

The Metro also passes by several neighborhoods when they have a blackout. In the sections where it's over ground at night even the passengers in the Metro can tell which neighborhoods have power and which doesn't by simply looking out the window. The Metro moves with electricity.

The DR also has the most complete electric charging infrastructure for electric cars.

There are many more examples. Some people want to pretend that the blackouts are mainly due to generation, but if that was the case then the Metro would never exist.

There was no metro and only old Corolla’s at that time, that’s why I wrote “it was ridiculous at that time”. Things have changed.

 

[AlterEgo]

Nope. I just walked around that area, streets and alleys, a few days ago with the dogs and there are no electric meters. Same in most of Simonico.

Just because there are no meter’s doesn’t mean they’re not paying for electricity. They may be on a fixed / flat rate plan. Very common in poorer barrios.

 

[NALs]

I visited the Faro in 1996 while taking classes at UASD and inside it had booths from different countries around the world. All I remember now is the impression of it glorifying European colonialism in the Americas. Cuba's booth was the exception.

Everything in those areas was donated by the respecting countries (all in the Western Hemisphere as none of them would come to exist if it wasn't for what Columbus did in 1492.) Many of the countries are Caribbean ones such as Jamaica, Barbados, Haiti, etc. The reason the monument is in the shape of a Latin cross is because that event meant the beginning of the Chritianization of the hemisphere. At the main entrances are several quotes from the Bible. One is a quote from Pope John Paul II with his signiture at the bottom. He was the only pope to visit the DR more than one time. The last time was in 1992 as he was present for the inauguration of the Faro a Colón. The white vehicle in a glass box is the pope movil he used. The lighthouse that combines with the cross is meant to represent the event of 1992 and Columbus himself was a navigator.

 

[JD Jones]

The reopening of the Columbus Lighthouse light show is postponed until November​

Maria RamosSeptember 3, 20235 minute read

Eliezer Nolasco, Governor of the Columbus Lighthouse Museum

Despite the fact that it currently looks relegated, the Columbus Lighthouse had a time of brilliance and splendor, especially when it projected those lights in the shape of a Latin cross.
However, for 16 years these lights have not shined again since they were damaged due to lack of maintenance.
And it is that since 2021 the reopening of the light show of the emblematic Latin cross has been announced, thanks to the donation of a foreign company. But for different reasons, this has been postponed several times.

On this occasion, the governor of the Columbus Lighthouse Museum, Eliezer Nolasco, declared that the reopening that was planned for the month of October was postponed to November of this year, due to some inconveniences that arose in the company that is carrying out the donation.
In an interview given to elCaribe, Nolasco assured that after several agreements managed by the government of El Faro, the donation of 178 lights, two transformers, the change of wiring and the labor to carry out this work was achieved in 2021, by of the Russian company BSG Grup.
“But this donation could not be made due to the outbreak of Russia's war against Ukraine. These lights are already made but they are stranded there, due to the conflict they have not been able to bring them,” he said.

INVESTMENT OF THE DONATION​

He explained that due to this inconvenience, they had to make another agreement, this time with the German company Sectag Internacional Latino América, which made the donation of the same materials, which will allow light and splendor to be returned to the Columbus Lighthouse. "This donation is valued at more than RD$115 million," said the young 33-year-old governor.
In the same way, he clarified that in this last agreement, they work hand in hand with the mayor's office of Santo Domingo Este, because the Manuel Jiménez council promised to clear customs the lights and other materials, in order to make the donation a reality. that will be made to the Ministry of Culture on which the museum depends.
I remember that the customs clearance of the light that was tested in the month of May had a cost of approximately RD$100 thousand and on that occasion, only one light was brought.

PROJECTS​

India Room in the Columbus Lighthouse Museum

Nolasco affirmed that when the light show opens, the extension of the visiting hours of the Lighthouse will be evaluated, explaining that he personally would like them to close from 10 to 11 at night because it is contemplated that there will be many people from all over the world. the world who will want to come see the light show.
He added that when he took over the governorship of the east lighthouse, it was in a state of abandonment, due to the deterioration of the surrounding lights and the large amount of grass it had, for which they had to make a series in agreement with EdeEste and the Dominican navy to keep the surroundings of the monument illuminated and secured.

The doors of the rooms of the Columbus Lighthouse row
In addition, "Thanks to an investment of more than 35 million steps that we were able to obtain from the Ministry of Housing and Buildings, we have recovered the Columbus Lighthouse, which was abandoned and progressively deteriorated," he highlighted.

He stressed that the leaks are all repaired, the rooms have air conditioning, the doors are being renovated, and security has increased, among other things that are allowing the Columbus Lighthouse to be almost ready for its reopening.
China Room in the Columbus Lighthouse Museum

VISITORS​

Three years ago, the number of visitors the museum received was between 500 and 600 people and currently, it receives around 1,500 to 1,700 people a day, he said.
"The changes that the Columbus Lighthouse is undergoing caused a greater flow of visitors," he said.

Nolasco compared the transformation that the Columbus Lighthouse has undergone in recent years with a glass that was empty, which was filled, and with the reopening of the light show, this glass will overflow.

HOW HAS THE COLUMBUS LIGHTHOUSE PROGRESSED IN RECENT YEARS?​

In addition to the expected light show, its main tourist attraction is the 54 exhibition halls in which each country shows a part of its history, the most recent being that of India, which was inaugurated six months ago, he said.
Room of the European Union in the Columbus Lighthouse
He added that the Chile room was recently updated thanks to a visit to the embassy of that country. In addition, the rooms of China and the European Union, which is one of the most impressive, were also renovated. Thus declaring that the inauguration of the German room is planned for this month of September.

Posponen para noviembre reinauguración del show de luces del Faro a Colón

El Faro a Colón es un monumento en honor al almirante Cristóbal Colón, este lugar en su época de mayor esplendor se caracterizó

www.elcaribe.com.do