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local Thursday 5 sepTember 2024
In celebrating 200 years of Oranjestad...

Learn about the history of the famous town hall!

(Oranjestad)—If you’ve
ever taken a stroll through
main street Oranjestad,
you may have stumbled
upon a big green house
with beautiful colonial de-
sign. This legendary house,
now used as a town hall for
civil marriages, was once
owned by a wealthy doctor
and formed part of the elite
neighborhood in Oranjes-
tad. near the construction site.
The house was designed It wasn’t until after her hon-
Jacobo Eloy Arends was by architect Chibi Wever, eymoon that she saw the
an Aruban physician, and and constructed under the completed mansion for the
in lived in Oranjestad dur- leadership of famous mas- first time, furnished entirely
ing the 1920s. In 1922, he ter carpenter, Dada Picus, by her sisters-in-law.
married Maria Monica who was famous at the
Lacle, the daughter of well- time for his construction of The mansion also con-
known business man at the beautiful buildings. tained the doctor’s office,
time, Adriaan Lacle. The as well as a pharmacy. Af-
two lived a posh life in the The construction of the ter the death of Jacobo,
city center, and their man- house started once Jacobo the house was inherited by
sion—once the center for and Maria got engaged. It his son, an Aruban dentist,
neighborhood parties— is said that during the time who converted Jacobo’s
now serves as a public of construction, Maria was office into his own dental
town hall for civil marriages not allowed to see the practice. Over the years,
and is a cultural monument building nor be anywhere the house was rented and
on the island. used by third parties, but
eventually fell into disre-
pair, as the maintenance
cost became too high to
cover.

The land was sold to Land to a modern building situ- a house she saw in Carta-
Aruba in 1986, but it did not ated behind—the Aruban gena, Colombia.
see a renovation until 1997. census office.
Nowadays, it serves to host Nowadays, this mansion lies
weddings, and is attached Jacobo and Maria’s man- in ruins. However, the Aru-
sion was situated in front ban government recently
of another famous man- announced its official res-
sion, owned by Jacobo’s toration, with plans to con-
brother Frederico Maxi- vert this monument into a
miliaan (Machi) Arends. governmental office and
Frederico was married to public space for visitors of
Veneranda (whom the Oranjestad.
mansion was named after).
Their house was also con- Source and pictures credited
structed by Dada Picus, uti- to: “De Kolibrie op de Rots (en
meer over the geschiedenis
lizing Veneranda’s design van Aruba)” by Evert Bongers.
vision that was inspired by

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