Page 13 - AHATA

a8 local
Wednesday 23 april 2025

Fred de Jong presents the Aruba Frank Sinatra Show live at The Cinemas

(Oranjestad)—Take advantage of your chance for a charming evening of music and enter-
to lounge back and delight in the memorable tainment LIVE at The Cinemas!
melodies of one of the greatest entertainers of
all time, Frank Sinatra. Join fellow Sinatra fans Presented by tribute artist Fred de Jong, enjoy

his beautiful rendition of some of Sinatra’s best
hits, including fan favorites from the legend like
“Fly Me To The Moon”, “My Way”, “New York
– New York” and more! Sing along to some of
Sinatra’s rendition of classic Christmas songs
and take in the experience in The Cinemas VIP
lounging theater for only $40 per person.

De Jong invites you to be a part of a classy,
beautiful evening of jazzy swing classics each
Thursday from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM at The Cin-
emas in Paseo Herencia. Seating is limited.

Book your seat now at arubasinatra.com/
book. Food and drink not included. q

Monuments in Oranjestad: Town House and Cas Veneranda

(Oranjestad)—If you’ve ever taken married Maria Monica Lacle, the
a stroll through main street Oran- daughter of well-known business The mansion also contained the
jestad, you may have stumbled man at the time, Adriaan Lacle. doctor’s office, as well as a phar-
upon a big green house with beau- The two lived a posh life in the city macy. After the death of Jacobo,
tiful colonial design. This legendary center, and their mansion—once the house was inherited by his son,
house, now used as a town hall for the center for neighborhood par- an Aruban dentist, who converted
civil marriages, was once owned ties—now serves as a public town Jacobo’s office into his own den-
by a wealthy doctor and formed hall for civil marriages and is a cul- tal practice. Over the years, the
part of the elite neighborhood in tural monument on the island. house was rented and used by
Oranjestad. third parties, but eventually fell into also constructed by Dada Picus,
The house was designed by archi- disrepair, as the maintenance cost utilizing Veneranda’s design vision
Jacobo Eloy Arends was an Aru- tect Chibi Wever, and constructed became too high to cover. that was inspired by a house she
ban physician, and in lived in Oran- under the leadership of famous saw in Cartagena, Colombia.
jestad during the 1920s. In 1922, he master carpenter, Dada Picus, The land was sold to Land Aruba in
who was famous at the time for his 1986, but it did not see a renova- Nowadays, this mansion lies in ruins.
construction of beautiful buildings. tion until 1997. Nowadays, it serves However, the Aruban government
to host weddings, and is attached announced its official restoration
The construction of the house start- to a modern building situated be- last year, with ongoing to convert
ed once Jacobo and Maria got hind—the Aruban census office. this monument into a governmen-
engaged. It is said that during the tal office and public space for visi-
time of construction, Maria was not Jacobo and Maria’s mansion was tors of Oranjestad. q
allowed to see the building nor be situated in front of another famous
Source and pictures credited to: “De
anywhere near the construction mansion, owned by Jacobo’s Kolibrie op de Rots (en meer over the
site. It wasn’t until after her honey- brother Frederico Maximiliaan (Ma- geschiedenis van Aruba)” by Evert
moon that she saw the completed chi) Arends. Frederico was married Bongers.
mansion for the first time, furnished to Veneranda (whom the mansion
entirely by her sisters-in-law. was named after). Their house was