On Sunday, september 15th, during Open Monumentsday, Monumentsfund Aruba (SMFA), along with Minister Geoffrey Wever and Minister Xiomara Maduro, proudly announced the start of the restoration of Cas Veneranda, located at Wilhelminastraat 7.

After extensive preparations, activities at Cas Veneranda will begin this week. The first step was obtaining funding from the Ministry of Economy, which led to an agreement with the original owner of Cas Veneranda. After Minister Geoffrey Wever received authorization from the Parliament of Aruba, the second step was preparing to sign the purchase agreement with the family of the original owner and the lease agreements. The Department of Economic, Commercial, and Industrial Affairs (DEACI) will be the main tenant, and there will also be a hospitality establishment on the side facing Schoolstraat. This is part of Minister Geoffrey Wever’s efforts to revitalize Oranjestad.

The second step was the design of the project. Hoevertsz ArchiDesign N.V. was chosen as the architect, and together with the SMFA project leader, they guided the construction team consisting of Pro-tec (air conditioning), Rotech/Hecom (electricity), Smart Systems (security), and Dynaf (solar). These subcontractors were involved in the design process from the start.

During this period, the Minister of Culture, Xiomara Maduro, and the Monument Bureau initiated the legal protection of the monument, ensuring that its history will be preserved forever. SMFA also launched the project “Tales of Cas Veneranda” under Monumentenfonds Aruba | Tales of Culture, where everyone can share portraits and stories of the historic home.

The third step was demolition and execution of the first phase of the project. Over the years, many elements were added to the building that were not part of the original structure. Additionally, a fire in 2014 caused significant damage. General Property Services did an excellent job removing all modern elements from the monument. During the demolition phase, more of the building’s history was uncovered. It is impressive to see how skilled and creative the architect (Dada Picus) was at the time, especially considering that there were no power tools or modern equipment available during the building’s construction.

Once the demolition was completed, the construction team finalized the plans and specifications, and preparations for the second phase—restoration—began. Last week, an agreement was reached with contractor Jash Development N.V., who had previously restored Nicolaas Store for SMFA. Now, Jash, along with the other members of the construction team, will restore Cas Veneranda. Restoration work will begin on September 23, following the preparation of the construction site, and will be completed by the end of November 2025.

The final step will take place at the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026 when the tenants will move into the monument. At that time, SMFA will remain involved in the maintenance of the building.
Cas Veneranda

The striking building on Wilhelminastraat was constructed in 1936 for Federico Maximiliaan (Machi) Arends, who was the Spanish consul. The architect was the renowned master builder Dada Picus, who traveled to Colombia to draw inspiration from a building that Machi’s wife, Maria Veneranda, loved. Upon returning to Aruba, they constructed the building we now know as Cas Veneranda. It was one of the largest homes in Aruba at the time of its construction.
In addition to being a residence, it was also home to the first “Super” Ice Cream shop and the first location of Masyfral. Oncha’s flower shop and the Spanish Consulate were also located in the building. In the late 1970s, the building was converted into the Papiamento Restaurant. During its last two years, the Papiamento Restaurant also operated as a nightclub (Club Nouveau) after the restaurant closed in the evening. After Papiamento Restaurant left the building in the late 1990s, it remained vacant. In 2023, Stichting Monumentenfonds Aruba reached a purchase agreement with the heirs of Machi Arends, and in March 2024, the official transfer of the building took place, allowing the restoration to begin. The project is co-financed by the Algemeen Pensioenfonds Aruba (APFA), the National Restoration Fund of the Netherlands (NRF), and the Ministry of Economy, Communication, and Sustainable Development. After restoration, the monument will become the office of DEACI and will also include space for a hospitality establishment.

Monumentsfund Aruba 

Monumentsfund Aruba was established in 1996 and is a non-governmental organization responsible for acquiring, restoring, leasing, and maintaining Aruba’s monuments. It also places emphasis on education and raising awareness about the importance of monuments as part of Aruba’s cultural heritage. Cas Veneranda is the 17th monument owned by Stichting Monumentenfonds Aruba.