In Puerto Plata, the "Bride of the Atlantic," a Victorian-style house that has been abandoned for years is on the verge of collapse. The residence is located on the corner of José Ramón López and Presidente Juan Bosch streets in the heart of the city's historic center.
Victorian houses with their high hipped roofs arrived in the city thanks to European immigrants and the commercial boom after the middle of the 19th century .
The property is in a deplorable state, with two floors of double galleries at the front and balconies on the left side, railings and fans, and a four-sided roof.
The structure erected in 1910 by Jorge Curiel, just meters from Luperón Park in the Batey Tres sector, could collapse at any moment, since the effect of the wind causes wood splinters to fall to the ground from its balconies, putting passersby at risk.
Complaints
The poor condition of the house has been reported by community members who are afraid to walk around it. The building was erected under the guidance of the renowned master cabinetmaker Roderick Arthur, who was the principal architect of Victorian houses in Puerto Plata.
That same building, now uninhabited, deteriorated and used as a den of antisocials, was considered for its time as one of the best houses of its kind, as noted by the historian and multifaceted Germán Camarena Gómez in his work: “Victorian Houses of Puerto Plata”, highlights a publication of the newspaper El Día.
In the aforementioned wooden structure with a zinc roof, mosaic floor on the first level and plank flooring on the second floor, the now-defunct Vásquez Clinic operated for decades, founded and directed by the medical brothers Rafael and Antonio Vásquez Paredes, it specifies.
Warning
The Margarita Mears neighborhood association warns people who use José Ramón López and Profesor Juan Bosch streets to be cautious when passing in front of the old house, as it represents a public danger due to its deteriorated condition.
He states that, given this situation of high risk to the physical integrity of the population, it is time for the municipal authorities and any other authorities with jurisdiction in this matter to take the necessary actions to prevent a tragedy.
Poetry in the village
Last September, El Inmobiliario highlighted in a piece by journalist Solangel Valdez, for the Cultural Scaffolding section, the memory of these homes, located in the historic center of this city that vibrates with colors, shapes, light and the elegant design of its Victorian houses that transport you to another time.
"Each facade surprises and greets you cheerfully when you turn any street, go up a hill, or peek around a corner. The white balustrades of the balconies and open galleries, some bordering the house, invite you to enter; the wooden latticework of the trellises, allowing the wind to pass through, and the cheerful, pastel tones of the paint make each one a postcard frozen in the urban memory, and you can't help but take out your camera or cell phone," Valdez described in his work.
Germans, English, Spanish, and French brought with them the architectural influences of the Victorian style, with its sloping zinc roofs, wide wrap-around porches, carved wooden latticework, balusters, and pastel colors.
