Yesterday, the Nuestra Patrimony association raised concerns over the demolition of the Pérez Soto house, an establishment dating back to 1908 located on Juan Padrón street, at the corner of Monteverde, in the capital of Tenerife. The building was part of the proposed new catalogue of municipal architectural heritage, which is still in the processing stage.
This group of citizens, dedicated to preserving the Chicharrero historical legacy, strongly condemns the demolition of this building, originally designed by the architect Antonio Pintor y Ocete. They highlight its “undeniable heritage, architectural, and historical values” and emphasize that the demolition sets a dangerous and serious precedent.
The association notes that besides being included in the new catalogue of municipal architectural heritage, the Pérez Soto house has received support from officials of the Cabildo of Tenerife, advocating for granting the building “a certain degree of legal protection” due to its historical significance.
However, they mention that due to the delay in decision-making by the public administration, the developer has resorted to legal measures to proceed with the demolition. A judge has granted this right without considering the building’s historical and architectural importance.
Criticism is directed towards the city council for failing to promptly update the existing catalogue to legally protect the building, which could have prevented its demolition. Instead, they opted to wait for the slow process of including it in the new catalogue, especially after the precautionary suspension of demolitions was lifted from the suggested properties.
The association highlights that the original promoter of the building was Enrique Pérez Soto, a key figure in the city who co-founded the Caja General de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad. He generously donated the ground floor of his residence to serve as the inaugural office of CajaCanarias, established on April 13, 1910.
On the other hand, the Councilor for Urban Planning, Zaida González, clarified that the current situation arose following the annulment of the 2013 General Planning Plan (PGO), which also affected the protection catalogue. Consequently, actions are now based on the 1992 catalogue.
González mentioned that “this development saw promoters requesting demolition permits from 2018 onwards, leading to disputes with the Cabildo. The local council was unable to issue demolition permits for buildings with significant values, regardless of catalogue inclusion.”
This situation resulted in legal decisions where “the city council must approve demolition permits for buildings not listed in the protection catalogue,” González explained.
The group expresses concerns about potentially more buildings facing a similar fate in the capital and facing demolition in the near future.
