WILLEMSTAD - Stichting Monumentenzorg Curaçao (Monument Care) changes course and becomes a technically oriented, innovative, more commercially oriented organization. This was announced by chairman Herbert van der Woude during the fourth edition of Invest in Willemstad.
Monumentenzorg wants to use this to grow and generate funds, among other things by buying and selling monuments more actively. Van Der Woude acknowledges that this means that the golden rule has been abolished: unlike in the past, Monumentenzorg is now prepared to actively trade its objects.
This involves being able to reinvest the proceeds in new monuments to be purchased and restored.
Momentenzorg says that with the new course it does not want to compete with the market, which is increasingly concerned with the restoration and maintenance of monuments.
The foundation wants to focus on those monuments in which the market is not (yet) interested. As an example, Van der Woude gives La Moda di Paris, a characteristic and historically relevant monument in the Consciëntiesteeg in Otrobanda.
It completely collapsed two years ago during heavy rainfall, after which Monumentenzorg was finally able to buy the property from the owners. Given the condition it was in and the investment needed to restore it, the market was not interested, according to Van Der Woude. And there are many more of these types of objects in, for example, the Otrobanda Stegen area.
Van der Woude emphasizes that the changing course does not mean that all 130 Monumentenzorg objects are now for sale. Some of them, such as Landhuis Brievengat, have a special historical value, so the organization will never sell them. Many others are rented far below market price and are therefore not up to date. “We are working on a list of properties for sale and expect to publish that list early next year.”
“Monument care says it will be selective to whom they sell. Buyers must be financially prosperous and reputable parties. In addition, we include a perpetual clause in the purchase agreement with a penalty in the event of overdue maintenance.”
A major advantage for the buyer is that Monumentenzorg offers professional architectural advice and that buyers do not pay transfer tax and that maintenance costs are tax deductible.