The Successful Upkeep of Historic Buildings, such as in San Jose’s Barrio Amon, Attracts Tourists.

The Director of the Cultural Heritage Research and Conservation Center announced that certain buildings located between Central Avenue and Ave. 2, from the northeast corner of the Central Park to the old location of the Radio Monumental, will be restored in hopes of inspiring other building owners in Costa Rica’s capital city to do the same.

San Jose is often considered the sore spot among Costa Rica’s pristine landscapes and eco-tourism offerings. However, the organizers of the renovation project claim that until recently the city was relatively pretty and clean. Lack of upkeep, bad design and the excessive posting of signs and posters and vendor stands have left it in a general state of ruin and given it a bad reputation.

The buildings that will receive the makeover are those that have been declared Historical Architectural Heritage, including the Soda Palace that has been there since 1930 and influence much of the architectural style of that era. The neoclassical La Alhambra building, originally build at the end of the 19th century will also be restored. The work will include removing billboards and outdoor vendor booths that have been set up below.

The Federated College of Engineers and Architects (CFIA) will be providing support to the project to make sure the resulting buildings are true to their original styles while incorporating some fresh new ideas. They are finalizing plans to hold a contest for architects to propose ideas to restore the buildings. The winner will be paid for his or her work by the CFIA.

To push further restoration, the San Jose Municipality has promised to enact legislation that would force owners of Property in Costa Rica to maintain their building fronts in a good state. The owners will have to invest some of their own money into the restoration, since they will be the ones benefiting from the resulting improvements.

The major goal for continuing restoration is to get rid of barbed wire, storefronts built against the buildings and the general pile up of trash and disorder. In order to do so, architects will have to think of an aesthetically pleasing way to make sure that the buildings enjoy the same level of security that the barbed wire offers. The buildings will also receive a fresh coat of paint.

These projects are expected to be carried out during the second semester of the year, with the hope of generating the interest of other building owners in the area to do the same thing.

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Filed under: Business on May 7th, 2008