Behind the fiasco of the Rodin Museum headquarterswhich was going to cost more than 16 million euros to exhibit replicas of the author’s works (without any connection with the Canary Islands), the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council does not know what to do with the Viera y Clavijo Park, one of the most wasted enclaves from the city.
Five months have passed since the rehabilitation work began, the completion of which is scheduled for 2026, and, meanwhile, the future function of this space is still in the “consultation phase”, which the construction director, architect Fernando Menis, affirms. It will be “emblematic.”
The mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez (Canary Coalition), was one of the main defenders of locating the Rodin Museum there and, after shelving the project, which did not have support from the cultural sector mainly (rather, it had its total rejection). , still doesn’t know what to do with the park after its renovation.
This Tuesday he visited the works on the occasion of a visit requested by the Deputy Minister of Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, Horacio Umpiérrez, who expressed his wish that the executive could share some area, perhaps to locate an exhibition of contemporary art or to host the Canarian Film Library, although the mayor pointed to other places for these needs.
Menis, the architect, has reported that the first three months of these works of more than two years, whose cost is twelve million euros and financed by the Government of the Canary Islands, have been dedicated above all to cleaning the place, full of garbage. , and the other two months, to organize the rehabilitation work.
“We are in front of a building of great construction quality”, with solid load-bearing walls, and that is why “it has not fallen”, in all this time in which it has been abandoned. “Now we are trying to prepare it for the next 50 or 70 years,” explained the architect.
“It is not up to us to decide” its future, “but it is up to us to make it an emblematic place in the city where we can show off the tremendous building we have here, with these magnificent historic gardens,” Menis said, explaining that the park will be open to the city, without the closing wall towards the rambla.
Bermúdez commented that the rehabilitation of the entire cultural space, which covers 30,000 square meters, is going at a good pace, and announced that this enclave will be “one of the important milestones” of the city. However, regarding its future use, Bermúdez pointed out that it will be cultural, but that “a decision has not yet been made” on more specific functions. “There is time ahead” and cultural groups are being consulted, something that did not happen when it was decided to locate the headquarters of the Parisian museum.
Of course, there will be multipurpose rooms and a large room in what was the chapel that can be used for exhibitions or events such as debates and conferences, while outside concerts could be organized outdoors or performanceBermúdez noted.
Contemporary room or Canarian Film Library
And while the mayor doubts what to do with the building and the space, the Government of the Canary Islands, which pays for the rehabilitation, already has several ideas. The Deputy Minister of Culture of the regional Executive, Horacio Umpiérrez, highlighted the importance of the rehabilitation of the Park for the city of Santa Cruz, and showed his interest in knowing what the development of this space will be, because his department has some ideas and contributions that might fit.
He mentioned two “historical needs” in particular for the Vice-Ministry, one of them a sufficiently equipped contemporary art exhibition room, because “we have always been behind in that sense.” “We are talking about it with the City Council, if not in this place, in another,” he commented.
The other major objective would be for the Canarian Film Library to have “its own headquarters,” explained the vice-counselor, and he hoped that “some type of agreement” could be reached, if not in this place somewhere else.
The mayor then intervened to stop the deputy councilor: “The Park is an option, but we have more options.”
He cited the School of Arts and Crafts, which needs an intervention of 7.5 million euros: “I hope that the Government, in its desire to share spaces, also contributes to the rehabilitation.”
Another option for the needs of the Vice-Ministry is the Marqués de Villa Segura building, “whose technical project is not approved, but which is about to be approved and will also need financing for rehabilitation.”
“There are other spaces that we can contemplate and we are delighted that the Government also wants to share spaces such as the Film Library or any other that comes to mind,” Bermúdez concluded.
