Mérida, Yucatán — More than 20 years after its launch, the city’s facade rescue program, Rescate de Fachadas, is about to finish its 800th renovation, reports Urban Development Director Federico Sauri Molina.
The total is equivalent to the rescue of a 40 mansions per year, all of them considered Centro architectural gems.
Under the program the city provides the labor if the property owner provides the materials, such as paint. Sixty trained masons work under city supervision.
Many grand properties remain inhabited by owners, often elderly, who lack resources to keep up with the ornate colonial-style facades that often represent a formal European style.
The work is completed in cooperation with INAH, the national historical authority that oversees preservation efforts.
Source: Sipse