Rio’s Historic Heritage Buildings Will Undergo Restoration Works

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In addition to the headquarters building of the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN), the National Library, the National Museum of Fine Arts (MnBA) and the National Historical Museum (MHN) will also be renovated.

The total funds, i.e. R$90 million (US$22.5 million), will come from the Fund for the Defense of Diffuse Rights (FDD), which falls under the Ministry of Justice.

The FDD includes resources resulting from judicial convictions, fines, and compensation for damages caused to the environment and consumers, in addition to assets and rights of artistic, historical, tourist and landscape value.

Adriana Dullius, president of the Federal Managing Council of the FDD, also says that all the resources will be invested in the historical heritage.

Manoel Vieira, the IPHAN’s director, says it is a “historic moment”.

“It is a very important moment for the most relevant cultural heritage and its collections, which are being benefited by the Fund’s investments. The National Historical Museum will undergo a modernization procedure and this will ensure improvements for its operation and also for the conditions of its collection”.

“The Museum of Fine Arts will receive conservation and restoration services in all its enclosure from the facades, the dome, and the roof, and this will ensure the preservation of this icon of the eclectic architecture of downtown Rio for a few more years”.

“There is also the National Library, which will also be getting a fire-fighting system that is of paramount importance to ensure the preservation of its collection and the building itself, as well as other services that will ensure improvements to the building, in terms of operation and preservation,” Manoel added.

The works are expected to begin in January.