The works to renovate the annex building of the Tenerife Cabildo have resumed after yet another delay, this time exceeding six months. The process to rehabilitate the building has been ongoing for almost seven years, beginning in 2018 when Carlos Alonso (CC) was president of the island corporation. This new phase of the project was supposed to start on January 21, as indicated by the notice board at the site, but by May, the work plan was still awaiting approval. Ultimately, the task has been assigned to the contractor, ASCH, at a cost of 12.5 million euros and an execution period of 26 months.
The first step in this new phase was taken by the Island Government on October 9, 2024, when they awarded the architect responsible for the rehabilitation project the construction management of the annex for just over one million euros, with a timeline equivalent to that of the construction. On November 6 of the previous year, the Island Government commissioned the work for 12.5 million euros, initially set for two years and eight months, although ASCH has reduced that to two years and two months.
Four proposals were submitted for the construction management of this project. The winning bid was from architect Jorge Mora Serrano, head of the ASCH project. The budget for this role exceeds 1.1 million euros over five years – including a small amount in 2024 – with a plan extending to 2028.
The workers at the Cabildo will have to reacquaint themselves with the droning noise of drills and the early daily activity associated with construction work. Hundreds of them had already moved to the former Telefónica building on Calle Alcalde Mandillo Tejera in Cruz del Señor during the evacuation of the property designated for rehabilitation in September 2018.
On November 6 of the last year, the Cabildo’s Council awarded the interior rehabilitation and restoration of the façades of the annex building adjacent to the island palace for over 12.5 million euros.
In addition to this initial action, there will be another project addressing the garages and parking facilities linked to the property, which is expected to require an additional outlay of around 12 million euros.
The annex building of the Cabildo spans 5,649 square metres and has been out of use since late 2013. The recovery works, which began in 2018, were halted in 2019 due to structural issues that necessitated emptying the interior of the building. The president of the island corporation, Rosa Dávila, emphasized then that “the aim is to make it a landmark for the city of Santa Cruz and the whole Island.”
A Long Process
In September 2018, the Tenerife Cabildo issued a tender for the rehabilitation works of the annex to the Insular Palace, which had been closed for five years due to structural problems. This was announced with a budget of 8.9 million euros and an execution period of 33 months. However, neither the financial amount nor the timeline were adhered to. In June 2019, it was announced that the building would be evacuated and that the work would extend three years from that point, initially set to conclude in 2022. The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted these plans, leading to successive delays and modifications that ultimately resulted in the cancellation of the awarded contract. The long process is now being resumed.
Both the workers of the Tenerife Cabildo and the hundreds of people passing daily around the Insular Palace on Calle Bravo Murillo, very close to the Fundación tram stop, are beginning to notice activity. This is a result of the commencement of works that are expected to improve the currently poor image of the site, which has a distinctly abandoned appearance. All parties hope that this resumption will be definitive.
Also the Main Building
The annex is not the only issue concerning the emblematic buildings of the Tenerife Cabildo. The Insular Palace itself has not escaped this stigma. In fact, the external protective netting that covers the façade for safety reasons has been in place since 2014. Ongoing legal disputes have marred the external image and the restoration of a Cultural Heritage Asset (BIC) designed by the architect José Enrique Marrero Regalado, who constructed it between 1935 and 1940, following the Civil War.
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