Facades

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There are lots and lots of nice buildings in Cartagena with frontages that are described as Modernist or Eclectic - apparently the period from 1873 to as late as 1944. There are so many in fact that lots of them are in a very sorry state.

I was passing the new Town Hall buildings just now and I saw they had an exhibition on about some of the facades that they've been doing up in a plan that started in 1997 and goes on till 2011. Apparently the Regional Government gives a grant of up to 75% with the owners picking up the tab for the other 25% and the Town Hall overseeing the total project. The idea is to look after the grade 3 listed buildings, the ones that wouldn't get help otherwise. As lots of the buildings have shops and commercial premises at street level they had to compromise there and allow contemporary styles but they've done things like remove blinds and signs to try to make the buildings simpler and more aesthetically pleasing.

The before and after photos made me realise that some of the buildings that I'd have thought were too far gone to be saved might still have life in them yet.

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