«The industrial heritage of the Canary Islands is that of the memory of work, effort and sweat». The phrase is from Amara Florido, PhD in Art History from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), and author of the 200-page publication that brings together the assets of the inventory of the industrial heritage of Tenerife, the result of seven years of effort (2012-2019). Specifically, she documents in eight large blocks, from the agri-food sector to the energy sector, 1,018 vestiges of historical-industrial interest (506 buildings and 512 furniture). Among them, elements, buildings and goods of very diverse and little known typologies. The catalog was presented for the first time on the Island, with the headquarters of the College of Industrial Engineers as a framework. The author of the inventory was accompanied at the informative act by the general director of Cultural Heritage of the Government of the Canary Islands, Nona Perera, and the deputy dean of the College, Artemio González.
Florido explains that “many times this heritage is not recognized by the population because it moves away from the traditional concept we have of heritage.” The expert emphasizes two reasons: «On the one hand, because it is made up of assets used until relatively recently, which makes it difficult to relate them to the concept of the old; on the other hand, for its peculiar, intrinsic and singular values with a functional character; that is to say, workshops, factories and industries with a single purpose: production». For this reason, Florido points out, “they do not comply with concepts related to aesthetics or beauty.”
“The inventory arises from the need to safeguard the historical memory of the island’s industrialization, in line with other projects and realities.” Nona Perera assures it. She adds that “since it is a heritage in rapid transformation and deterioration and, therefore, in serious danger of disappearing, a rapid and effective cataloging of what is preserved to date is necessary,” she specifies. Perera underlines that «These inventories constitute an objective database of the industrial heritage assets of Tenerife, identifying, describing and evaluating the recorded testimonies for their protection, dissemination and enhancement».
Amara Florido warns about the fragility of industrial heritage: “It is vulnerable, undervalued, misunderstood and, therefore, threatened.” This situation has given rise to “the destruction and abandonment of structures, machines and installations of unquestionable historical and cultural significance.”
This publication goes a step further, but “the great challenge for researchers, associations and organizations is to raise awareness of the legacy derived from the industry as an inseparable part of historical and cultural heritage,” says Florido.
The cataloging works of the Industrial Historical Heritage in the Canary Islands have been undertaken uninterruptedly since 2009, financed by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Government of the Canary Islands. The first island under study was Gran Canaria, where a total of 1,014 elements of interest were recorded, of which 616 are included in the category of real estate and the remaining 398 in the category of personal property. In 2011, the study of Fuerteventura was carried out, accounting for 286 records, of which 214 belong to the real estate section. Currently, the inventory of the island of La Gomera is being finalized.
in Tenerife
The concern for the industrial heritage in the Canary Islands is relatively recent and in some cases it has come too late. In Tenerife, manufacturing facilities of extraordinary importance have already disappeared or are at risk, such as the Gas Factory (1906) and the Central Electric and Industrial Company of Tenerife (1897), in Santa Cruz de Tenerife; the La Gordejuela pumping station (1903), in Los Realejos; The Distillation Factory (1900), in Los Cristianos (Arona) or the Electric Tram Station (1901), in La Cuesta (San Cristóbal de La Laguna).
«For many years, the old factories were considered a hindrance, an obstacle to progress and a goal to be eliminated, destroying the memory of the place, that of work, in favor of the concept of progress. Fortunately, awareness of this unknown heritage is growing,” says Florido. A relevant fact has been, without a doubt, the inclusion of the new figure of protection, industrial heritage, in the Law of Cultural Heritage of the Canary Islands (2019).
In the case of Tenerife, the interests have focused on the rehabilitation of wine presses, chimneys and elements of movable heritage such as threshing machines, cranes, etc. The El Tanque Cultural Space, in the capital of Tenerife, stands out for its peculiarity, opened to the public in 1997, after the rehabilitation of one of the old fuel tanks of the Santa Cruz Refinery.
Among the projects in process, or awaiting completion, are the old Tobacco Drying House (Granadilla) as a cultural center; the Sixto Machado (Candelaria) packaging warehouses, as multipurpose spaces, as well as the FAST (Garachico) packaging warehouse.
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Linotype of EL DÍA: a symbol of the graphic arts era
There you are watching time pass. It is not the Puerta de Alcalá, but it is the symbol of an era such as that of Madrid. This is the linotype of the newspaper EL DÍA. It represents the permanence of a culture, that of industrial heritage. Amara Florido has included it in her book within the chapter on graphic arts and cinema. She explains that “it is the image of the rich history of EL DÍA and everything that the world of graphic arts represents.” Only two are preserved on the Island, but EL DÍA meets two conditions that are as extraordinary as they are ideal. On the one hand, explains Florido, “the good conservation of the machine”. On the other hand, she values ”the fact that it is at the front door of the newspaper as a vestige of another era.” She underlines: «Transcendental element in the history of graphic arts in Tenerife». In her compendium, the expert from Gran Canaria values that «the changes and trends in the graphic arts sector after the arrival of digital technology have caused the progressive closure of most of the companies in the sector». She underlines to conclude: «Despite all the advances in the typographic industry, the original equipment is still preserved in the primitive facilities». It is explained by the author of the work that disseminates the lesser-known cultural and historical heritage of the Canary Islands and Tenerife.
«When they go to dismantle the Refinery, do not destroy everything»
Dr. Amara Florido launches a heartfelt appeal: “When they are going to dismantle the Refinery –she is referring to the Cepsa refinery in Santa Cruz de Tenerife– do not destroy everything and keep the most unique elements, please”. She considers the expert that “this is an obvious example of value as industrial heritage not recognized as historical.” She delves into the idea that “it is blurred by diffuse aspects that exist such as speculation or real estate pressure, but the truth is that it is a social heritage as it is the only Refinery in the Canary Islands.” She values Florido as material to conserve the Cepsa Warehouse or the Water Tower and the Stone House as the facility’s power plant. She also gives importance to the first torch or to the thermal power station, the three chimneys. However, “even respecting all opinions” Florido considers that “the spheres, those chubby tanks, have originality in their shape but the oldest date from 1962, which makes cataloging complicated.” In addition, he emphasizes that “they are located in a place that complicates conservation. She summarizes the teacher: “This is a very important industrial heritage in itself but it is a reference for all historical heritage.” Cepsa refinery. Installed in 1930, it occupies an area of 500,000 square meters. In 2018, an agreement was reached with the Santa Cruz City Council to transform this land into Santa Cruz Verde 2030. It houses a material of great heritage importance: the water tower, the first torch, the stone house… The warehouse general is another of the jewels of industrial heritage. It is a building that represents a singular construction. With a rectangular floor plan, pillars and a vaulted dome, it is included in the catalog that the Fundación Docomomo Ibérico considers to be of interest. Florido dixit: «The Refinery, with more than 90 years of history, has left a mark of great heritage value»
