Alejandro Marichal: “After more than 30 years of procedures and blockages, we have recovered for public use a historic building full of identity for El Tablero.”
Davinia Ramírez: “The building will be integrated into a new development with at least 96 market-rate homes, 8 commercial premises and a minimum of 100 parking spaces.”
The Urban Planning Department of San Bartolomé de Tirajana has taken a decisive step towards the restoration of one of El Tablero's historical landmarks: the Casa del Mato, also known as the Casa del Estanque (House of the Pond), a 1903 building included in the Gran Canaria Island Council's Inventory of Ethnographic Heritage. After more than three decades of neglect, its rehabilitation will finally become a reality thanks to an agreement signed with the developer, Gestión Integral Caro SL, which will fully fund the €187.505,20 investment required to rehabilitate and expand the building, as well as improve its surroundings.
The project envisions the faithful restoration of the traditional architecture of Casa del Mato, preserving its original volume, its perimeter masonry wall, its characteristic finishes, and incorporating a minimal extension of 10,71 square meters. This extension will provide the building with two restrooms (one of which meets current universal accessibility standards) and an entrance hall. The total constructed area will thus reach 79,33 square meters, and an additional outdoor terrace of approximately 81,20 square meters adjacent to the building will be added, where neighborhood or cultural activities can be held outdoors. All of this will be built on a 602-square-meter municipal plot designated as a public square, which will be added to the existing 5.570-square-meter private plot.
The city councilor for Urban Planning, Davinia Ramírez, explains that the project envisions the Casa del Mato being integrated into a new development of at least 96 market-rate apartments, 8 commercial spaces, and a minimum of 100 parking spaces, with three-story buildings and a design that will organize the growth of the surrounding area. Within the development, 1.661 square meters of privately owned public space will also be incorporated, conceived as an open and accessible area that will connect the restored heritage site with the new roads.
First Deputy Mayor Alejandro Marichal emphasizes that, after more than thirty years of bureaucratic hurdles and delays, “we have recovered a historic building, steeped in the identity of El Tablero, for public use.” He also highlights the importance of the developer covering the entire cost of the renovation, “which allows us to enhance an essential piece of heritage at no cost to the community.” Marichal concludes that this historic building “is a key element in a broader strategy to modernize El Tablero without sacrificing its identity. Here we demonstrate that it is possible to regenerate a neighborhood while respecting its history and creating new opportunities for its residents.”
For her part, Davinia Ramírez emphasizes that the project involves “much more than simply rehabilitating the building. We have managed to get the developer not only to undertake the rehabilitation, but also to expand it to provide the minimum services necessary for public use.” The councilwoman explains that the Casa del Mato “will regain its architectural dignity and, moreover, will play an active role in the life of the neighborhood, transforming into a cultural or community center open to the public.”
The Casa del Mato, built between 1903 and 1906, was protected by the City Council in 1993 and has stood the test of time as one of the most visible testaments to El Tablero's agricultural origins. Its restoration marks the end of a thirty-year cycle and the beginning of another in which history and modernity coexist in an urban project designed to improve the daily lives of the families who live and will live in this area.
With this action, the Department of Urban Planning of San Bartolomé de Tirajana reaffirms its commitment to the conservation of heritage and to a development model that respects the memory of the territory while promoting new opportunities for the municipality.
