WILLEMSTAD - Considering the various petitions to designate buildings as protected monuments, the Urban Planning Service (ROP) provides information regarding the conditions for a building to stand out and be nominated as a protected monument. When a person or an institution wishes to submit a petition to the government to designate a building as a protected monument, several aspects need to be evaluated.
These conditions are stipulated in various laws and regulations, such as the "Monumenteneilandsverordening Curaçao" (AB 1990, no. 5), the "Algemene selectie-criteria" of 1992, and the "Aanwijzing van archeologische beschermde monumenten" of 1995, among others.
One essential condition is that the building must have existed for 50 years or more. The building in its entirety must remain relatively unchanged. Curaçao, as a country, has witnessed various architectural styles throughout different eras. Therefore, the building should reflect the architectural style of the era in which it was constructed. There are also conditions regarding any changes, such as construction or reconstruction, made to the building. If these changes were significant, the building may not qualify for designation.
The government also relies on experts in the field to conduct studies on architectural and historical aspects to evaluate if the building holds exceptional value in terms of its location. This is also a general selection criterion for a building to be nominated as a protected monument.
The possibility of the site or land where the building is situated being recognized as an archaeological monument is also considered. The site or land must have a direct historical impact event.
In this way, the ROP has provided some important conditions for a building to be designated as a protected monument. Some buildings meet these conditions and are designated as such, while others, unfortunately, do not. The ROP is the governmental institution equipped with professionals to evaluate these types of petitions in accordance with the current regulations.
