PROCEEDINGS OF THE

INTERAMERICAN SYMPOSIUM ON AUTHENTICITY

IN THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, USA MARCH, 1996

Netherlands Antilles
(ICOMOS Nederland)
National Position Paper of Curaçao

INTRODUCTION

The territory of the Netherlands Antilles comprises two groups of islands. The Leeward Group
of islands formed by Curaçao and Bonaire, while the Windward Group of islands is formed by
St. Martin, Saba and St. Eustatius. These islands have formed part of the Netherlands since the
17th century.

Especially Willemstad, capital of the largest island of Curaçao, has gone through a development
of a rich historical architecture as from the second half of the 17th century.

The oldest construction of Willemstad, Fort Amsterdam, was built around 1635 at the entrance
to the St. Anna bay, a narrow entrance to the harbour behind it. The historical part of
Willemstad, consisting of the districts of Punda, Pietermaai, Scharloo and Otrabanda, shaped up
along both sides of the St. Anna bay through the following centuries.

UNITED STATES NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES
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 PROCEEDINGS OF THE
INTERAMERICAN SYMPOSIUM ON AUTHENTICITY
IN THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, USA MARCH, 1996

There are various building styles in these old districts. The most conspicuous styles are the
Curaçao-Baroque style dating from the 18th century and the Classicism style dating from the
second half of the 19th century.

There has been a move to the suburbs of Willemstad which started well over fifty years ago.
Those who initially moved from downtown to take up their residence out of the old town were
especially men of the most substance. Later other people followed them. This caused a gradual
downward spiral movement of dilapidation, deterioration and tearing down of the old buildings
in downtown. In spite of the fact that during the past decades many old buildings stopped
existing, about half of the ancient buildings of Willemstad still consists of monuments to be
preserved.

- Monuments Plan

In order to stop the downtown spiral of deterioration, a Monuments Plan was drawn up in 1989
by the government of Curagao in association with the Dutch city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Department for the Preservation of Monuments and Historic Buildings and the Netherlands
Commission for UNESCO.

As part of this Monuments Plan, the necessary legislation to preserve the cultural inheritance
built was established. The necessary authorities were also incorporated to execute the island
policy on monuments, as well as the needed funds which have been put available to restore the
monuments actively.

Halfway through this year (1996) all monuments in downtown Willemstad will officially be
designated as a monument, and consequently be protected by means of the monuments
ordinance, against irresponsible alterations, deterioration and tearing down.

UNITED STATES NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES
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 PROCEEDINGS OF THE
INTERAMERICAN SYMPOSIUM ON AUTHENTICITY
IN THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, USA MARCH, 1996

Since early 1994, and under the terms of the Monuments Plan, private persons can be
subsidized and given loans to restore their preserved monument. This caused the start of a flow
of restorations through which the re-establishment of Willemstad becomes manifest.

- World Heritage List

The re-establishment of Willemstad was reported at UNESCO by the Netherlands Commission

for UNESCO. UNESCO accepted officially "Action Willemstad" as project number 112, as a part
of the UN/UNESCO World Decade for Cultural Heritage. In 1995 a request was made at UNESCO
to place Willemstad on the World Heritage List.

Apart from the monuments in downtown which will all soon be preserved, the complete
historical part of Willemstad has been designated as a preserved area, which means that new
buildings should not at all ruffle the image of the town. This explains why all plans for building
new houses have to comply with requirements concerning the height of a building, the width of
a housefront and its division, the shape of the roof and the building materials. Although the
building should mind some of its parts in the surroundings, a historicized architecture is not
aimed at. Still, what is just aimed at, is a well-fitted in modern architecture showing the actual
spell of construction clearly.

RESTORATION PLANS AND AUTHENTICITY

Formerly, restorations on Curaçao took place only on a restricted scale, and particularly by the
Curaçao Foundation for Preservation (Stichting Monumentenzorg Curaçao), which has bought,
restored and administrated monuments as from 1954. The fact that the Monuments Plan is in
progress, caused the start of a larger flow of restorations of monuments officially preserved at
present. This implies that it is inevitably to draw up guidelines the many restoration plans
should comply with. These are specifically guidelines and norms that consider the authenticity
in restoration to be highly important.

UNITED STATES NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES
COMITÉ NATIONAL DES ETATS UNIS DU CONSEIL INTERNATIONAL DES MONUMENTS ET DES SITES
 PROCEEDINGS OF THE
INTERAMERICAN SYMPOSIUM ON AUTHENTICITY
IN THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, USA MARCH, 1996

As Curaçao forms part of the Netherlands, many things are directed to the mother country. The
ideas about authenticity are thus also influenced by the Netherlands, which implies that the
Charter of Venice dating from 1964 forms not surprisingly an important basis for the Curaçao
restoration theorie.

Although, as many people already noticed, theorie and practice are not always matched to each
other. Financial means available could matter a lot in practice.

- Conservation is more important than renovation.

Renovation of parts of the buildings is only allowed in case that seems to be the only way to
guarantee the existence of the entire or partial monument. This means we should always try to
maintain the materials of construction as much as possible.

An example to be mentioned is the renovation of the entire construction of roof timbers in case
there are just some rafters affected by termites. An accurate research will have to prove
whether a complete renovation is necessary or a partial renovation or treatment of the affected
parts will do.

In case conservation is not possible anymore, then the aim should be in the first place to
renovate in the same material, keeping the original building. It remains to be seen whether this
original construction will be realized as much as possible according to the traditional methods.

Reconstruction of embellished parts is allowed only if it's not possible to prevent further
deterioration by protective measures, and in case any delay in taking action could cause total
deterioration. The essential point is to keep the traditional building virgin. When the building
has been handed over imperfectly, that imperfection should be respected and shown. In case it
is inevitable to replace some parts, e.g. because there is a risk of braking down or because
people wish to use the monument again, then this should take place in a way which shows it is
a matter of "work done afterwards".

UNITED STATES NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES
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 PROCEEDINGS OF THE
INTERAMERICAN SYMPOSIUM ON AUTHENTICITY
IN THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, USA MARCH, 1996

To resume what is mentioned above we can state that concerning work in rounding up,
breaking up and similar things during restorations, the following alterations are undesired:

1. To round up in the same style or by means of analogies, and to use simplified shapes or
supplements on the basis of former illustrations which indicate the final state of a monument
or the state aimed at.

2.To remove parts or brake them up when this erases of the history of the monument, in other
words all traces of time.

3. To reconstruct or set up a monument somewhere else whether there are ponderous

arguments on the conservation which can be brought forward.

4. To alter radically the whole surrounding area, structure and the picture of the monument,
the monumental block, the position, the garden, the grounds and everything achieved through
our times.

5. To alter or remove the patine, that is to say the bloom of age over each real old monument
(patine is the natural ageing process of the material, contrary to weathering).

- Reconstruction

Besides everything there are bounds as to what, from the point of restoration, is allowable to
renew. These bounds will stand in case great parts of the buildings need to be reconstructed
because it is technically necessary.

The boundary is drawn between renovation of affected parts of the building and reproduction.
In the case of a reproduction, the talk of a monument will be absolutely out of question.

That is the reason why some buildings at Curapao have been removed from the list.

UNITED STATES NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES
COMITÉ NATIONAL DES ETATS UNIS DU CONSEIL INTERNATIONAL DES MONUMENTS ET DES SITES
 PROCEEDINGS OF THE
INTERAMERICAN SYMPOSIUM ON AUTHENTICITY
IN THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, USA MARCH, 1996

The policy is in principle not aimed at permitting any reconstruction on entire buildings or
vanished parts. Nevertheless, in some extremely exceptional cases reconstruction could be
advisable. For example when a calamity causes serious damage to a building or a block of
buildings designed according to one specific concept.

Reconstruction can also be necessary for properties which have been built up with materials
that can not be restored any more. This is for example the case with concrete and steel
constructions dating from the experimental stages of these types of constructions, like the
buildings from the Art Deco era. Reconstruction could in that case be the only possibility to
continue the existence of the construction, as a reproduction indeed.

- Various characteristics in style

It is the exception rather than the rule if there is only one period of style represented in a
historical property. Very often the property represents an ensemble of results of successive
interventions and developments that originate from various periods of style. When such a
monument is being renovated, the characteristics of these various periods of style should be
taken into account. All contributions to the monument, dating back to several periods, have to
be respected in principle. A restoration should not be intended to create a unity in style.
Alterations for the benefit of a proper use of the monument will be allowed much easier than
those for the benefit of the purity in style.

- Rounding up a monument

The purpose of a restoration is to maintain the aesthetic and historical significance of a

monument, to hand it over to next generations. The restoration must be based on respect for
the authenticity of the original construction. If only it is technically and aesthetically necessary
to round up a monument, people will have to depart from the existing architectonic design, and
grant as much as possible a contemporary nature to the rounding up or alteration.

UNITED STATES NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES
COMITÉ NATIONAL DES ETATS UNIS DU CONSEIL INTERNATIONAL DES MONUMENTS ET DES SITES
 PROCEEDINGS OF THE
INTERAMERICAN SYMPOSIUM ON AUTHENTICITY
IN THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, USA MARCH, 1996

FINALLY

It is not possible to mention rules all restoration works should comply with. As a matter of fact
there are general principles for a course of action which can be set up, and the restoration
practices can be fitted in a certain well-considered fundamental framework.

In the past such frameworks have been discussed and established several times on national and
international level.

The government's task when evaluating restoration plans for preserved monuments aims at
conservation of the historical significance, which does not mean an aim at freezing it.

It is beyond doubt that the conservation of a monument is connected with possible new
functions and purposes. When a monument loses its original function, it should be attributed a
new purpose.

A monument which can still hold a position in our modern society has a good chance to be
preserved after all.

prepared by
ir. Michael A. Newton
Stichting Monumentenfonds Curapao Curaçao - Netherlands Antilles

for the
Inter-American Symposium on Authenticity San Antonio - Texas – USA
27 - 31 March 1996
organised by US / ICOMOS

UNITED STATES NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES
COMITÉ NATIONAL DES ETATS UNIS DU CONSEIL INTERNATIONAL DES MONUMENTS ET DES SITES