Page 15 - ARUBA TODAY
P. 15
LOCAL A15
Tuesday 9 January 2018
Monuments
Continued
And the best is that I can
almost guarantee you the
magic of the local touch
when you bump into an
authentic cunucu house
(country house) and talk
to the owners. They will
proudly share their family
history with you.”
Outside Inspiration: Water Tower San Nicolaas in the old days (above); Water Tower
The Monumentfund ac- San Nicolas by night in present time (right).
quires or buys monuments
and restores them back He and his family came ing at the non-tangible help. For more information fondsaruba and the web-
into their former glory. here to the outdoors as part of heritage: the stories visit their Facebook page site http://www.monumen-
Then they rent it out. “That in those times there was to be told, the music to be s t i c h t i n g m o n u m e n t e n - tenfondsaruba.com.q
sounds easy, but it is in- only cunucu (countryside) played, the dinners that
credibly complex as most here. They had big parties were cooked in the plac-
monuments have multiple and enjoyed leisure time es we try to restore. That
owners due to the fact that with family and friends.” keeps it alive. Most of our
inheritants are split and all Wealthier Arubans at that monuments are meant to
need to decide upon the time looked outwards for be lived in so we would like
selling.” They cooperate architecture inspiration as to reintroduce the joy of
with the government of- that was considered chic, living in a monument. We
fice of monuments be- Witsenburg explains. Either work together with private
cause they set the rules of to the US (art deco style companies to look into
what you can and cannot like the water tower in San that.” In their office they
do to a protected monu- Nicolas), Holland (Dutch installed solar panels, use
ment. “We also have the colonial style) or Colom- LED lightning and recently
task to maintain the build- bia/Venezuela. “This house implemented an electrical
ings which is an ongoing is inspired by a villa around charging point for electric
process. The wind, the salt Cartagena, Colombia. The vehicles.
in the air and the sun - that ideas mostly came from
not only burns human bod- the wives”, she says laugh- The Monumentfund Aruba
ies but also buildings, which ing. is open every day from
is a huge challenge. Next Monday to Friday from
to that we do education, Sustainability Driven: 8am to 5pm. You are more
create awareness and Sustainability is a big thing than welcome to ask for
maintain public relations to the Monumentfund Aru- information, guiding and
about our monuments.” ba. Witsenburg: “Obviously
The office of the Monu- to restore old buildings and
mentfund is actually locat- not destroy them to build
ed in a monument itself. new ones is already sus-
The building is beautiful tainable in itself. Then we
and has a tropical style. have the technical sustain-
“This house goes back to ability as in using the right
the 1920’s when it was materials and techniques
built as a vacation house but also the social sustain-
by Aruban entrepreneur ability. That includes look-
Mr. Adisson Winfield Croes.
Nicolaas Store during Carnaval in the old days (left); Nicolaas Store renovated in the present (right).
