Central Aguirre

A training program in wood construction will pave the way for disaster recovery while opening new employment opportunities. Central Aguirre Historic District is included on the 2020 World Monuments Watch to bring attention to the plight facing historic wooden structures in Puerto Rico and their communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The high cost of materials, preservation standards, and the lack of specialized workers in wood construction is a major burden to residents. The State Historic Preservation Office in Puerto Rico is committed to providing opportunities for training in traditional wooden construction methods for carpenters and residents. In building the necessary capacity to address this kind of historic structure within and beyond Central Aguirre, the initiative aims to improve resilience and economic opportunities on the island. World Monuments Fund will collaborate with the SHPO and local NGOs to implement this training initiative. The house of the Principal Administrator, last restored in the 1990s, after the hurricane, 2017. After surviving hurricanes and earthquakes, this national museum is in urgent need of repairs. Sacred earthen shrines, among the last architectural vestiges of the Kingdom of Asante, face ongoing deterioration that call for new approaches to management and maintenance. Located in modern-day eastern Türkiye, Ani Cathedral is one of the most significant architectural structures remaining from the prosperous Armenian Bagratid period in the tenth and eleventh centuries. Facing deterioration, one of Mongolia's only temples to survive religious suppression can benefit from expert preservation assistance. World Monuments Fund’s work at Central Aguirre Historic District has been made possible, in part, by support from American Express.