Experts urge Medina to halt remodeling of Colonial Zone Ruins

Santo Domingo.- More than 130 architects and professionalsand 14 heads of Colonial Zone neighborhood boards called on president DaniloMedina to order a halt the San Francisco Ruins remodeling project, calling it seriouserror would harm the culturally-protected national monument.

The said the Tourism Ministry’s renewed interest in the Ruinsis "a mere theatrical display of volumes of reinforced concrete withinadequate exploitation of its intrinsic value, a proposal which in itsentirety can be classified as horrendous and upsetting to the site and surely producedisruptive effects on its future visitors."

The International Council on Monuments and HistoricalArtistic Sites (Icomos) has objected to the project’s apparent speed and doesn’tquestion the professionalism of the architect Rafael Moneo, who won the contestto remodel the site. Icomos clarifies that they don’t oppose the design.

The Tourism Ministry’s position has been stated by ColonialCity Tourism Development coordinator Maribel Villalona, who argues that the Ruinsproject complies with national and international standards program and ensuredthat each one of its stones will be retained.

Among the expertswho signed the petition figure the architects Leopoldo Medina Franco, RisorisSilvestre and Omar Rancier, the historian Edwin Espinal and tourism consultantJuan Llado.