Palma house may hide a Civil War air-raid shelter
Palma, Mallorca: a house built between 1932 and 1933 may contain a Civil War air-raid shelter, and a heritage group wants it protected before any demolition permit is granted. On Monday 26 October, the Association for the Revitalisation of Historic Centres (ARCA) called for checks on the building at the corner of Miquel Santandreu and Joan Alcover streets in Palma’s Eixample district.
The house appears in a heritage catalogue that is still awaiting approval as part of a detailed planning scheme. ARCA wants Palma City Council to assess how much protection the building deserves before issuing a demolition permit, applying the same rules used on 31 de Desembre street.
Whether the shelter exists remains unconfirmed. ARCA bases its claim on accounts from local people and wants the possible shelter checked, documented and preserved. It has also asked Mallorca Island Council’s Historical Heritage department to examine protection for the building alongside the city council.
ARCA wants the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory to recognise the house as a site of democratic memory. It points both to the possible shelter and to the building’s architect, M. Alenyà, who was from Palma.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com