Fast Summary
- Torrevieja City Council approves adaptation works for two floors of the Multiuse Municipal Center to create a youth leisure and training center.
- Contract awarded to Inmourbana Servicios for €153,536, reducing original price by 11%.
- The building, originally designed as a holy Week museum, has been underused and repurposed for diffrent cultural activities since its delayed completion in 2016.
- Controversies and changes in city leadership affected the museum’s intended use over the past decade.
- The renovations aim to give new life to unused parts of the building 11 years after construction began.
Torrevieja Transforms Former Holy Week Museum into Youth and training Center
The Torrevieja City Council has recently approved a meaningful renovation project aimed at adapting two floors of the Centro Municipal Multiusos located on Avenida de las Habaneras. The building, originally intended to serve as a Museum of Holy Week, will now accommodate a youth leisure center and an official vocational training center.
Project Background: From Museum to Multiuse Space
the Multiuse Municipal Center was conceived over a decade ago,with construction starting in May 2010 under the lead of architect Javier García Solera. Funded with more than €6 million from the Generalitat’s anti-crisis Plan Confianza, the project aimed to create a modern, open museum space to exhibit local religious images and goldsmith works related to Torrevieja’s Holy Week traditions.
Though, the enterprising plan encountered multiple setbacks:
- Delays in construction meant that the building wasn’t finished until around 2016-years behind schedule.
- Political struggles and disagreements about the museum’s use slowed down the official inauguration and functional launch.
- The Junta Mayor de Cofradías (the religious brotherhood council) initially opposed repurposing parts of the building for other functions.
Despite its original museographic purpose, the building has been partially used for cultural purposes such as rehearsal rooms, workshops affiliated with municipal councils, and an artisanal school focused on salt craft.Some parts, including a cafeteria floor and meeting rooms for the Junta Mayor, remain mismatched with their intended design.
Details of the New Adaptation Project
The contract for the refurbishment has been awarded to Inmourbana Servicios at a cost of €153,536, representing an 11% discount from the tender price. The work focuses on:
- Adapting the 3rd and 5th floors, originally open spaces intended as part of the museum’s exhibition area.
- Transforming these spaces into a youth leisure facility and an accredited training center, providing local young people with new educational and recreational opportunities.
| Building Section | Original Plan | New Use |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd & 5th Floors | Open museum exhibition spaces | Youth leisure and training center |
| Other floors | Cultural workshops, rehearsal rooms, artisanal school | Maintained in current cultural functions |
| Basement & Intermediate Storage | Warehouse for festival inventory, large freight elevator | Continued storage use, limited elevator use |
Historical and Political Context
The project, triggered by the than-mayor Pedro Hernández Mateo, experienced various phases:
- The initial construction began with high hopes but encountered budgetary and timeline problems.
- During the government led by Eduardo Dolón (2011-2014),completion was delayed and payment problems arose.
- In 2016, a left-wing coalition proposed a shared use with the Junta Mayor de Cofradías, a change approved by the Generalitat but met with opposition by the Partido Popular and some brotherhood leaders.
- When Dolón returned to power in 2019,he aimed to reverse the shared-use strategy but never completed this transition.
- by 2020, the Junta Mayor officially declined to take up space in the building, and the city quietly started relocating some municipal activities there.
Currently, the center has yet to be inaugurated fully for either its original museum purpose or the new uses.
Challenges & Future Prospects
Some architectural features of the building, such as a large freight elevator designed to move Holy week floats and religious images, have been underutilized due to size constraints and practical difficulties. Additionally, there are unused spaces like a hall set up as a chapel and cafeteria areas that do not fully correspond to their current function.
The renovation project is a practical step to finally activate unused parts of the building, offering the Torrevieja youth a dedicated recreational and learning space, while contributing to the city’s diverse cultural landscape.
Summary of Key Data
- Location: Centro Municipal Multiusos, Avenida de las Habaneras, Torrevieja
- Architect: Javier García Solera
- Original budget: Over €6 million, financed by Generalitat’s Plan Confianza
- New Contract Value: €153,536 (awarded to inmourbana Servicios)
- Purpose of new adaptation: Youth leisure center and accredited training center
- Years since construction started: 11 years
With this development, Torrevieja hopes to maximize the utility of a long-delayed project, enriching the city’s cultural and social infrastructure.
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