With the collapse of the 1970s edifice that had housed the JetSet Club on Tuesday, 8 April 2025, several took to the media to urge the government avoid a tragedy (at least 232 deaths) regarding the aging structures of the Francisco del Rosario Sanchez Bridge (Puente de la 17) over the Ozama River and the aging Court of Appeals building in the Centro de los Heroes. The government has been dragging its heels despite numerous petitions that those works were urgent.
The collapse of the roof of the Jet Set club brought to the open the urgent need for the government to act with these two structures. The Ministry of Public Works closed the bridge to tr traffic and announced maintenance and repair works for the bridge.
Around 800 meters long, the bridge is the third alternative, from south to north, that crosses the Ozama River that divides east and west Santo Domingo. It connects Av. Padre Castellanos on the west side to Av. San Vicente de Paul on the eastern side. It was inaugurated in 1973. An estimated 70,000 vehicles and 200,000 persons use the bridge every day, according to statistics from the Ministry of Public Works.
On the other hand, the Judicial Branch reacted to the public calls and ordered the relocation of the courts of appeals and Superior Administrative Court (TSA), and the hearing rooms and secretarial offices at the aging Centro de los Heroes building. The building dates back to 1955 when it was built as part of the edifices for the Feria de la Paz celebration during the Trujillo dictatorship.
As reported in Diario Libre, the decision was taken on 11 April 2025, three days after the disaster, and mandates the transfer of these judicial functions to the Supreme Court of Justice building and the Real Estate Registry.
As reported, during a press conference, the Supreme Court of Justice announced that this measure was a direct consequence of a structural vulnerability study conducted in 2021 by the firm EPSA Labco, Consulting Engineers, S. A. According to the findings of this study, the affected building will need to either undergo remodeling or be demolished for new construction.
The Dominican committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos) is urging the government preserve the building for its significant historic, architectural and urban value.
In a statement Icomos emphasized that the structure is registered by the Center of Inventory of Cultural Assets, establishing it as part of the nation’s cultural heritage, as determined by Constitutional Court ruling TC/0037/16. The committee urged action to ensure the building’s long-term protection, highlighting its importance to the country’s patrimony. The building is regarded as an extraordinary example of the country’s 20th-century architectural heritage.
Concerns are mounting over the potential demolition of a significant building within the Centro de los Héroes, with the Dominican committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos) warning that such action would jeopardize murals by the renowned artist José Vela Zanetti and negatively impact the overall image of the historically important area.
Icomos has pointed out that the Centro de los Héroes was declared a zone of high national interest through Decree 66-04 on 4 February 2004, with the aim of solidifying it as an urban and institutional landmark for Santo Domingo and the nation.
The committee emphasized that the Centro de los Héroes was designed by architect Guillermo González Sánchez, widely regarded as the father of modern Dominican architecture. In this context, Icomos asserts that preserving and structurally reinforcing the building is a necessary measure to maintain its heritage value, preventing the loss of another key element within an essential urban complex vital to the country’s cultural identity.
Japonesa Capellán, president of Icomos, has appealed to Luis Henry Molina, the president of the Supreme Court of Justice, urging that the building be maintained and its original structure conserved, reinforcing its elements to guarantee its stability.
Read more in Spanish:
El Nuevo Diario
Diario Libre
21 April 2025