Blue Reflections in Casco Viejo

PANAMA. Last weekend was a blue time for artists from the “Sembrarte” group who came out in force to express their views about the restoration works of the Central Hotel in Casco Viejo.

They painted blue graffiti on the security barrier around the building, which was sold as a restoration project but has only kept the outer shell.

Inner elements may have been lost, like the grand staircase brought from New York in 1883, wood ceilings and skylights.

The “Fiesta Azul” was the artists way to express their nostalgia for the past using a blue palette.

The zinc fences were the canvases the artists used to protest this controversial restoration project which had the approval and permission of the Casco Antiguo Office, the National Institute of Culture (INAC) and even from the company in charge of the works.

With this peculiar opening, Sembrarte reflects on similar changes in Casco Viejo. “We want to analyze the changes in the identity, care and symbolism of the Casco Antiguo” said Rolando De Sedas, head of the group.

“Neighbors and local businesses supported us with materials and requested permits from the builders” De Sedas explained.

“We spoke with the Casco Antiguo Office and the Historical Heritage office from INAC”.

The event started on Saturday but the rainy weather forced them to stop and continue on Sunday.

They are not done yet, and will continue painting on the fences the next weekend.

More than 20 million dollars will be spent to restore the Central Hotel, an historical building from the XIX century.

This was the place where the Panama-Colombia separation was planned in 1903.

The architecture of this period reflects a transition from colonial style with neoclassical and French influences.

The predominant style however was the Colombian colonial architecture. A classic feature of this period is the use of forged iron in staircases, handrails and windows.

A month ago a wall from this building collapsed, but no comments were made about it.

This relic of the San Felipe neighbourhood was recently bought by Central Hotel Investment, Inc, owned by Spanish investors Alex Druget Torner and Erick Calvo Masramon, a firm from the hotel chain AB Hotels of Barcelona.