The city government of Santiago announced the implementation of a program to salvage historical houses in the city center. Maintenance works and a paint facelift are being applied to around 100 properties in this first round of the program. A second phase will include improvements to buildings of the Republican period.
Already, 50 houses between 16 de Agosto, La Joya and other streets in the city center have been painted, said Yanilsa Cruz, coordinator for urban art of the culture department of the city government. Cruz said they have received the backing of Pinturas Tucan.
Among the houses being renovated is the original home of the family of former President, the late Joaquín Balaguer on Calle Máximo Gómez. The house had been donated to a congregation of Catholic nuns. Also contemplated in the program is salvaging the façade of the Hotel Mercedes, located on Calle 30 de Marzo, and that is in abandon.
A Santiago city government press release says that the renovations in the city center are part of a way of the preserving of local traditions and the beauty of the republican architecture of the area.
“We have instructed the brigades to work until all the houses are properly painted, as this returns the color and splendor to these homes that are part of the cultural and architectural heritage of Santiago,” said Mayor Abel Martínez, when highlighting the initiative in the press release.
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Santiago city government
16 October 2018
