Diego Finkelstein’s company, DF Entertainmnent, had good news and bad news on the same day.
Because while the city government held the public hearing, where voices were heard from city residents in favor of “redesign” for those who agree or “demolition” for those who do not want to move forward with the project, Luna Park, Three civic organizations filed an injunction stopping future work.
The public hearing was a necessary step for Jorge Macri’s government to extend the referendum period Environmental suitability certificate for stadium redesign Luna Park expected by companies DF Entertainment and US media holding company Liberty Media’s multinational subsidiary Live Nation Entertainment, which acquired a significant portion of DF Entertainment in 2018.
Luna Park: Why can the business be stopped?
The companies responsible for the future of Luna Park explained this through their representatives The legendary stadium, run by boxing promoter Tito for decades, will increase its capacity and surface area in a construction project. It will require more than two years of work with four months including demolitionabout which no further details were provided.
The commercial objective of Corrientes and Bouchard Stadium is Expanding the current capacity from 8,400 spectators to 13,000 seatsWhich will make it possible for the business model operated by Live Nation to be profitable. The necessary increase in capacity for the business plans represents an increase of more than 50% of the current capacity.
At the end of the works, Luna Park Stadium will look like this.
Now, architectural experts claim that it is physically impossible to achieve the proposed changes within the building’s enveloping history without altering its form. The spatial limitations of the original 1932 structure, designed for boxing and mass events for decades more, impose a physical cap on the expansion.
In this sense, representatives of organizations monitoring the cultural and architectural heritage of the city agreed to point this out The project involved “demolishing the entire interior and roof” leaving only the facade of the building remaining because it has been declared a National Historic Monument.
The importance of the hearing was crucial because to achieve the commercial goal, the developers proposed, and the city government authorized, the demolition of the interior structures to free up space and the construction of a new building within the boundaries of the land.
With the environmental suitability certificate obtained, companies will be able to begin redesigning after intervention by officials of the National Monuments Committee They agreed Intervention and consent General Directorate of Urban Interpretation (DGIUR) in Buenos Aires that decided the business was “possible From a point of view Preserving urban heritage.
For Anna Bass, from Basta de Demouler, “An analysis of the plans and the contested ruling reveals this The intervention includes the physical disappearance of most historical monuments. “Furthermore, we point out that this transformation project violates the rules and was approved under a provision of the GCBA, which should have consulted the legislature because it is a stadium.”
At the public hearing, the official was heard Ariel Gustavo Papa, the APRA professional responsible for the certification evaluation file for the expansion project, explained that redesigning to receive international quality events is essential. Undertaking “a comprehensive reorganization of the ground floor, modernizing access and proposing a new museum highlighting the heritage”, While two new basements will be built. Regarding the deadlines for the work, he stressed that it will require “four months of demolition and initial modifications and 24 months of construction.”
Without providing many details about the planned demolitions, the hearing turned out to be the case The project foresees the collapse of 11,613 square meters of interior space. This includes the complete removal of the original concrete steps, historic pediments and, essentially, the roof structure. In its place, a “structurally independent building” is planned, a new modern plaza inserted into the property, which barely preserves parts of the surrounding façade as a gesture of testimony.
Luna Park’s future is up to justice
Civic organizations that do not agree with the changes reminded that a judicial action has already been taken that would stop the reform project. On November 27, Judge Natalia Tano, Vice President of Court No. 5 for Controversial, Administrative and Tax Matters of Buenos Aires, issued a first decision indicating that “Any work or administrative action related to the project associated with the property must be stopped immediately.”“Until the court decides on the permissibility of taking precautionary measures.”
The government of Jorge Macri appealed this decision and for this reason was able to hold the public hearing on Tuesday 2 December.
However, in the last few hours Protection has been made Collective environmental on the one hand Observatory of the Civic Association of the Right to the City, the Civic Association of Pasta di Demoller and the City Foundation. The lawsuit appeals to intangible values related to the memory of the city and its residents.
The lawsuit focuses on the irreparable damage to the intangible and tangible cultural heritage of the city and the nation. “Luna Park is not just a concrete and metal structure; He is “the material container of the collective memory of Argentines for nearly a century,” They confirm in the Observatory of the Right in the City.
The Urban Planning Act sets out the general criteria for intervention in listed buildings, highlighting the principles of authenticity and integrity. “The standard stipulates that every intervention must enhance and preserve the integral value of the building and that the cultural meaning of the property as a historical testimony depends fundamentally on its original physical essence,” urban preservationists explained. For them, demolishing the interior of Luna Park destroys its integrity and authenticity.