The Cluster of Puerto Plata, an association of stakeholders in the cultural community and tourism industry in Puerto Plata, has moved ahead with its plan to convert a disused chocolate factory into a major cultural center with the participation of French architect Leo Orellana in an event organized with the support of the Ministry of Culture at the Casa de Cultura in the city of Puerto Plata. Deputy minister in charge of cultural heritage, Jose Enrique Delmonte Sone attended the event. Also present were artists, cultural promoters, the Sociedad Cultural Renovacion and the Fundacion Atlantica. During his address, Orellana explained that the next step is to assess the present state of the building’s 3,000m2 metallic structure, which is over 8m in height. Orellana spoke enthusiastically about the site’s potential for becoming a major venue for artistic and cultural events in Puerto Plata. He told his audience that the structure “had soul, like the people of Puerto Plata.” He told his audience: “When one enters this structure, it’s impossible not to be moved. There is something special about it. It is a metallic building in good condition but it needs the studies before it is altered”.
Leo Orellana is a member of afaa.asso.fr
The event was organized by the Ministry of Culture and sponsored by the French embassy in the DR, the Tourism-Cultural Cluster of Puerto Plata, Sociedad Cultural Renovacion and the Fundacion Atlantica, Inc.
Orellana is coordinator of the Program for the Revitalization of Historic Centers of Latin America and the Caribbean, under the auspices of the French Agency for Artistic Action of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of France.