This is a wonderful old building that is deteriorating more and more as time goes by. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any money laying around to either maintain it or restore it to its former glory.
At one time I had heard that there was an organisation trying to raise funds to look after it; I don't know if that was/is correct or not.
It truly is a shame to see buildings like this falling more and more into ruin as the years go by. Yes, I fully understand that people and infrastructure come first, I am not blind or stupid; but still.......
I am not criticizing anyone, it is just a fact of life that no matter where you live, there is never enough money to go around to all the projects that need some.
Some of the damage to the cupola, there is much more damage in other areas also.
5 comments:
Oh wow Brenda. That is so sad to see this beautiful structure deteriorating as it is. Oh my goodness that is such a wonderful building. How old is the building? I wonder if it was there when my Grandparents lived in Sonora? My how sad. Thanks for sharing this and thanks for your nice comment on my blog. Take care.
HI Gloria, yes it is sad. I believe from what I have read that the bank building was finished in July 1908. It continued as the Bank of Sonora until November 1931 when due to many circumstances, it had problems because of the Depression. It was declared bankrupt in February 1932.
Below is an excerpt that I took from a part of the historical write up about it on the Guaymas city government site.
It is in Spanish; but I know you will have no trouble with that.
"terreno se levantó un hermoso edificio de diseño norteamericano, en estilo neoclásico, con acabados finamente terminados en cemento pulido. La estructura contiene muros de carga de 70 centímetros de espesor, en ladrillo recocido unido con mortero de cemento. La construcción estuvo a cargo del ingeniero Eduardo Gaxiola Gil de Lamadrid quien había sido Presidente Municipal de Guaymas en el período 1902-1904. La construcción se hizo durante varios años, terminándose en julio de 1908.
La fachada está ricamente decorada con frontones sostenidos por robustas y estriadas columnas corintias rematadas con volutas jónicas realizadas en cantera. Las columnas son también de ladrillo y acabadas en cemento pulido con las estrías resacadas. En el vértice
Noreste se encuentra el elemento principal, en donde se ubica la entrada y el edificio está bellamente rematado por una hermosa cúpula.
Esta da la impresión de ser una torre cupular pero tan solo es un efecto visual ya que en su interior dista mucho de ser lo que se observa en el exterior pero esto no le quita valor a la cúpula que está construida en metal troquelado semejando pizarras francesas que están separadas por gajos que dividen la cúpula en ocho secciones. Está rematada por una corona que sostiene un astabandera y presenta cuatro ventanales a manera de claraboyas en los que se iban a colocar unos relojes pero esto nunca se hizo."
Probably more info. than you wanted but is something that I am interested in, so have a hard time stopping when I get going on it.
Have a great evening.
Is the brown stuff at the base of the columns just dirt or is it crumbling at the base too?
Breez: I believe; but I would have to take another closer look to be positive, that the outer coat of cement is off and the bricks are showing through. The bricks are the reddish colour. So, yes this is more deterioration.
Oh i just realized your pics can be blown up full size-and they are very sharp.
Aww that is a real shame.
There are buildings like that all over the world. Not enough money for restoration.
There was a massive Ringling Hotel (as in Ringling Bros Circus) in Sarasota FL that I really felt sorry for. It was unbelievably posh—but despite a push to save it, it was finally demolished in 1998.
Post a Comment