Veneranda House | 1936

PROJECT DETAILS

Address: Wilhelminastraat 7
Year built: 1936
Open to public: No

The imposing building on Wilhelminastraat was built in 1936 by Federico Maximiliaan (Machi Arends), the consul of Spain. The architect was the well-known master builder Dada Picus, whowent to Cartagena Colombia to find inspiration for a building that Machi’s wife, Maria Veneranda, was in love with.
On his return to Aruba he built the house we know today as Cas Veneranda.

One of the largest houses in Aruba at the time, built in Latin American neo-baroque style. Besides being a residential house, it was also a flower shop, an ice cream parlor and the consulate of Spain. In the seventies, the building became Papiamento Restaurant. After the restaurant left, the building remained empty and in 2014 a major fire destroyed much of the interior.

SMFA purchased Cas Veneranda in 2023 and is currently undergoing restoration.