The Dominican Republic's Ministry of Culture, working with the Directorate General of Museums, presented progress on the restoration of the Museum of History and Traditions of Santiago at a briefing with journalists.
Culture Minister Roberto Ángel Salcedo led the meeting, which took place in the former building of the National Postal Institute, known by its acronym INPOSDOM. Officials used the session to lay out the scope of the project and the plans to turn the building into a space dedicated to the history and traditions of Santiago.
The project has reached the final stage of contracting the teams responsible for carrying out the work, according to the ministry. That follows earlier progress on planning, the drafting of technical documents and the design of the museum's exhibition proposal.
What comes next
The ministry said upcoming work will include structural repairs and new electrical and communications installations, along with the restoration of the building's doors and windows. Officials said the goal is to preserve the building's architectural character while bringing it up to proper safety standards.
Santiago de los Caballeros, commonly known as Santiago, is the Dominican Republic's second-largest city and a longstanding center of the country's cultural and commercial life. The ministry said the restoration is designed to strengthen the preservation, interpretation and public promotion of the city's historical memory, and to bring that heritage closer to younger generations and the wider public.
Ministry's broader museum push
The Ministry of Culture is the Dominican government body responsible for cultural policy and heritage protection. It said the Santiago project, carried out with the Directorate General of Museums, headed by Joan Ferrer, is part of a wider effort to recover spaces devoted to conserving, protecting and sharing the Dominican Republic's historical and cultural heritage.
The ministry did not give a timeline for when construction work would begin or when the museum is expected to reopen.
