Government Acquires Historic Santa Cruz Mansion
The Government of the Canary Islands has decided to purchase a luxury mansion in Santa Cruz de Tenerife through a direct, non-competitive procedure on an urgent basis, for institutional and cultural use. The decision was published this Friday in the Official Bulletin of the Canary Islands (BOC).
Urgent Purchase of a Protected Villa
The resolution, signed by the Deputy Minister of Finance and Relations with the European Union, Gabriel Megías, was formally adopted on 3 December but took three weeks to be made public. The property is a villa built in 1930, known as Casa Sams. It has four floors and 725 square metres of living space on a 658-square-metre plot, with five bedrooms, four bathrooms, four garage spaces, and a jacuzzi overlooking the garden. It has been listed for sale with several estate agents for €2.8 million, but the amount actually paid by the government of Fernando Clavijo (Coalición Canaria) is not yet known. It is located at number 19, Calle Costa y Grijalba.
Justification Based on Heritage and Location
In the resolution published this Friday, the government attempts to justify the purchase with several claims. It cites the “special suitability of the property and the uniqueness of the need to be satisfied, both for its intrinsic heritage value and its location within the Barrio de los Hoteles-Pino del Oro Historic Complex, declared a Site of Cultural Interest.” According to Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council, this is a residential complex conceived in 1889 for the affluent classes of the city, which contains some of the best examples of eclectic and modernist architecture in the archipelago.
Furthermore, in its official BOC resolution, the government claims an added value for the mansion due to its “strategic location (…) in the very heart of the historic and administrative centre of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in an area which also concentrates other buildings of high institutional and heritage value.”
Planned Use as Cultural Headquarters
According to the BOC publication, the Canary Islands Government intends to use this mansion to “address an immediate administrative need as the headquarters of the Vice-Ministry of Culture and Cultural Heritage,” with its final purpose being “allocation for exclusively institutional use,” considering that it “also offers exceptional potential to host institutional and cultural events.” The current headquarters of the Vice-Ministry of Culture and Cultural Heritage is in an official building on Calle Comodoro Rolón, in the administrative and commercial centre of the Tenerife capital.
Architectural Significance of Casa Sams
The mansion acquired by the government, known as Casa Sams, was designed by the architect Marrero Regalado on commission for General José Sams, hence its name. It is a protected property, meaning its volume, façades, and singular features must be preserved.
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