Rio area nominated for UNESCO heritage to be renovated

Nominated for World Heritage with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Roberto Burle Marx Site Cultural Center, in Rio de Janeiro, will undergo a renovation project.

With a space of 400 m², the estate is home to 3.5 tropical and semitropical plants—both native and exotic—a collection that draws a number of visitors and researchers. The property was purchased in the 1940s by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, who wanted to store his botanic collection. In the 1970s, when he moved there, he brought with him personal objects, his artistic production, as well as his art and design collections.

Renowned the world over, Burle Marx was among the most important landscape architects in the 20th century. He worked alongside Lúcio Costa, the architect and urban planner who designed the project selected for the construction of Brasília, Brazil’s federal capital, listed by UNESCO as cultural heritage of humanity.

In 1985, Marx donated his property, including all of his collection, to the Brazilian Culture Ministry’s National Pro-Memory Foundation. The agency was superseded by the National Heritage Institute (Iphan), which listed the place as heritage at federal level. The property has been considered a public institution ever since.

The nomination was filed in 2015 and accepted by UNESCO. Now the cultural center is to put together a dossier on the nomination and to welcome international experts to lead the initiative. Information will be checked by UNESCO on an official mission. The result will be unveiled mid-2019.

Funding

The renovation works at the cultural center will be made possible by funds from Iphan and the National Economic and Social Development Bank, which will provide the institution with $1.35 million.

The place is currently undergoing an electric and telephone revamp, among basic services, some of which to be conducted soon, like the renovation of a lake.

According to Center Director Cláudia Storino, the support from the bank, which accounts for over 60% of the funding for the renovation works, will be crucial not only for the nomination, but also for the center’s maintenance and the services provided for visitors.

The funds will also be used to make data on and from the center available online. “This will be of great help for those doing research on Burle Marx,” Storino added.

The Roberto Burle Marx Site Cultural Center receives some 6 to 7 hundred visitors every month.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira