The General Foundation of the University of La Laguna (ULL) has been chosen by the Public Services area to carry out the drafting of a proposal-study on the conservation and restoration of the sculptural fountain in Plaza Weyler, dating from of 1889. The order, formalized by means of a minor contract that amounts to slightly more than 10,000 euros, will have to characterize the constituent materials, the pathological elements that affect the source, an analysis of the state of conservation, as well as a damage map ( cartography) of the state of conservation. You will also need to incorporate on-site testing of restorative treatments.
Once these points have been completed, the ULL Foundation will have to draw up the restoration proposal based on the studies carried out, and accompany it with an economic evaluation of the intervention proposal. For these works, the awardee will have a term of four months.
Already in 2019, damage was detected in the fountain in Plaça Weyler, specifically a crack in one of the elements of the complex, specifically in one of the shells of the installation, with the consequent risk of breakage. The then Councilor for Public Services, José Ángel Martín, announced an urgent intervention to prevent this break.
Now, the study commissioned by the area directed by Guillermo Díaz Guerra seeks a comprehensive rehabilitation of a source that is located within the historic complex of Los Hoteles-Pino del Oro, for which it is considered a BIC, which requires that Any intervention that is projected must have the approval of the Cabildo.
Weyler Square is one of the most important in the capital. In it, and once it was conditioned, while Pedro Schwartz (1897-1899) was mayor, a monumental fountain was commissioned from Genoa (Italy). The fountain is part of a continuing widespread tradition in the 19th century of placing marble basins in squares to improve public ornamentation. The usual thing is that they adopt profane sculptural forms, masks, naked infants, etc.
The sculptural ensemble, the work of Achille Canessa, will be 123 years old in 2022. The sculptural ensemble is made of white Carrara marble, with Neo-Renaissance characteristics. The central body, which is 5.8 meters high, has a pyramidal shape and is topped by statues of two children holding a garland of flowers. On the central floor, four children, each one in a corner, each hold a dolphin that spouts water from its mouth and falls into the shells located at the bottom.
