In 2020 Monuments Fund Aruba finalized the restoration of the Lime Kiln. The project was combined with a course about the use of lime on historic buildings. Now SMFA will start working on the plans for the conservation of the Water Tank in the neighborhood of Rancho. In the case of the water tanks SMFA opted to conserve it in its current state in order to prevent further deterioration. It will not be restored but conserved.
The difference between restoration and conservation is that when a building or monumental object is restored, the focus is to bring it back to its original state. Based on collected information, photographs, research on the monument itself and information from the original owners the building will be brought back to its original appearance. In this case the historical use over the years will not be visible anymore.
In the case of conservation, the focus is on historic research and documentation of the monuments in its current state and preventive measures will be applied to prevent further deterioration. For this it is important to do a research of the materials to make sure not to use the wrong materials that can affect the original ones.
With respect to the water tank in Rancho, SMFA opted to conserve the tank in its current state. One of the reasons is that we do not have enough information or photographs that show how the tank was in 1905 after construction.
Andrew deGruchy, an expert in the restoration of historic buildings from Limeworks USA, will be on the island to do some research and give SMFA advice on how to use lime for the conservation of the tank. This will be the first monument on Aruba that will be conserved and will not undergo a complete restoration.
The water tank in Rancho is an industrial monument built in 1905 by Cornelis Hendrik Eman. From this tank water was sold to the neighbors. After the death of Cornelis in 1914, the tank was no longer used. The tank consists of two rings with the largest having a circumference of 23,20 meters.
About the Monument Fund Aruba
Since 1996, ‘Stichting Monumentenfonds Aruba’ (Monuments Fund Aruba) has primarily been involved in the funding of restoration and maintenance of protected monuments, and has been the financial institution in the field of heritage conservation. The fund owns 15 monuments, out of the 36 protected monuments in the island, but there are over 300 more monuments on the list to be protected. The international guidelines that apply for monuments decide whether it will be a protected monument or not. The building or object needs to be at least 50 years old, a special value in architecture or to history or to the people of Aruba is required and there has to be a certain uniqueness.
The Monument Fund Aruba is open every day from Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm. You are more than welcome to ask for information, guiding and help. For more information check out their Facebook page stichting monumenten fonds aruba and the website http://www.monumentenfondsaruba.com.
