Hotel Colombia
Coordinates: 12 ° 31 '8.5 " N , 70 ° 2' 12.3" W.
 
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Location in Aruba |
The former Hotel Colombia and today's seat of the civil and population register is a historic listed building complex in Oranjestad (Aruba) .
history
The building with a land area of 1,010 m² is located in the capital of the island, near Fort Zoutman and the Arubus stop Doña Clara.
This building was constructed in 1918 by Nadie Henriquez . At that time it was one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, with balconies and columns. In 1919 the owner Henriquez ran the first cinema there in the basement. In 1920 the De Veer Pianola theater by Eduardo de Veer was added. From 1922 the first open-air cinema with musical theater was opened in the garden behind the building. The upper floor was operated as a guesthouse and the Venezuelan consul operated his consulate office there.
Doctor Eloy Arends bought the building around 1925 and it became known as Hotel Colombia, the first hotel on the island of Aruba. The ground floor continued to be used for other purposes. In 1953 it housed the Excelsior Drukkerij (printing works) and a wine shop.
After a fire all that remained was a charred ruin without a roof. The complex was sold to the Aruba government. The restoration began in February 1997. The extensive work was carried out by the construction company Albo Aruba NV, taking into account the original construction plans. The restored and renovated complex has been home to the Civil and Population Register of Aruba since 1998 and is registered in the Lijst van monumenten op Aruba with the number 01-023. On June 30, 1999, the Stichting Monumentenfonds took over the complex, but it is still used as a registry office.
swell
- Hotel Colombia on monumentenfondsaruba.com