Page 32 - NEWSPAPER MEDIA MONITORING JANUARY 12TH, 2019

A14 LOCAL
Saturday 12 January 2019
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
The Monument fund ac- Water Tower San Nicolaas in the old days (above); Water Tower
quires or buys monuments San Nicolas by day in present time (right).
and restores them back
into their former glory. Croes. He and his family ing at the non-tangible
Than they rent it out. “That came here to the outdoors part of heritage: the stories
sounds easy, but it is in- as in those times there was to be told, the music to be
credibly complex as most only cunucu (countryside) played, the dinners that
monuments have multiple here. They had big parties were cooked in the plac-
owners due to the fact that and enjoyed leisure time es we try to restore. That
inheritances are split and with family and friends.” keeps it alive. Most of our
all need to decide upon Richer Arubans at that monuments are meant to
the selling.” They cooper- time looked outwards for be lived in so we would like
ate with the government architecture inspiration as to reintroduce the joy of
office of monuments be- that was considered chic, living in a monument. We
cause they set the rules of Witsenburg explains. Either work together with private
what you can and cannot to the US (art deco style companies to look into
do to a protected monu- like the water tower in San that.” In their office they
ment. “We also have the Nicolas), Holland (Dutch installed solar panels, use
task to maintain the build- colonial style) or Colom- LED lightning and recently
ings which is an ongoing bia/Venezuela. “This house implemented an electrical
process. The wind, the salt is inspired by a villa around charging point for electric
in the air and the sun that Cartagena, Colombia. The vehicles.
not only burns human bod- ideas mostly came from
ies but also buildings are the wives”, she says laugh- The Monument fund Aruba
huge challenges. Next to ing. is open every day from
that we do education, cre- Monday to Friday from 8 to
ate awareness and main- Sustainable driven 5. You are more than wel- more information check aruba and the website
tain public relations about Sustainability is a big thing come to ask for informa- their Facebook page stich- http://www.monumenten-
our monuments.” to the Monument fund Aru- tion, guiding and help. For ting monumenten fonds fondsaruba.com.q
ba. Witsenburg: “Obviously
The office of the Monu- to restore old buildings and
ment fund is actually lo- not destroy them to build
cated in a monument it- new ones is already sus-
self. The building is beauti- tainable in itself. Than we
ful 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-

Nicolaas Store during Carnaval in the old days (left); Nicolaas Store renovated in the present (right).