The Hortensia Herrero Art Centre begins the work to refurbish the two premises that will house the future museum offices. The offices are to be housed on two levels, with a total area of 511 square metres, adjacent to the Valeriola Palace located in Calle del Mar in the historic centre of Valencia.
The ERRE architectural practice, which managed the refurbishment of the Art Centre, will also undertake the work on this building, in collaboration with the Hortensia Herrero Foundation. The project aims to recover the building’s historical and heritage value and it includes the consolidation of the flooring and walls, before undertaking the lining, finishes and installation of the furniture and equipment.
The premises retain important decorative pictorial elements that will be enhanced. The most important ornamental painting is a trompe-l’œil on the walls and ceiling that depicts the myth of Gaia and which, despite the various alterations it has undergone, has remained in a good state of preservation. Their interior also has Nolla floors, made up of ceramic tiles with coloured tesserae in geometric shapes, that are characteristic of Valencian modernist houses and mansions from the end of the 19th century until 1940.
The future offices of the Hortensia Herrero Art Centre are located in a building with an irregular floor plan dating from between 1870 and 1930. It has four façade panels with an eclectic language, characterised by a tripartite composition with a differentiated base, body and finial, and other decorative elements such as ornamental surrounds, highly elaborate mouldings, imposts and corbels under the balconies.
The protruding body overlooking the Calle del Mar is dominated by a large, brick-built belvedere that spans the two main floors and incorporates the same bas-relief decoration alluding to commerce as the lintels of the balconies on these floors.
The two premises that will house the offices of the Hortensia Herrero Art Centre are divided between the mezzanine and first floor. The main room is divided into two open spaces, a meeting area, a service area and a quiet room, a space without access to mobile phones to facilitate concentration. The mezzanine has more open work spaces and storage, maintenance and management rooms.
The refurbishment works are expected to continue until the end of 2021.
