After announcing the plan last year, Loulé council has officially approved a €3 million project to turn an 18th century manorhouse in the heart of the town into a music hub. However, when the work will begin and who will take it on is yet to be decided.
Plans include providing facilities for Loulé’s musical conservatory and the local Banda Filarmónica Artistas de Minerva. The revamped building would also become home to the municipal auditorium.
Known as ‘Solar da Música Nova’, the building was once set to become a residence for science students and researchers but the idea was scrapped in favour of the current project due to the manor’s “historic link to music”. For years, it was the headquarters of the Artistas de Minerva group.
The council says that “apart from improving the town’s historic heritage, the goal is to improve and strengthen the infrastructures for music teaching”.
It is also hoped that the music centre will help the town develop itself and continue to be a “hallmark of music in the Algarve”.
“The project has been approved but there is still no decision as to when the renovations will begin,” spokesperson Rita Pina told the Resident.
Even though the renovations will take place over a 2,622sqm area, the council guarantees that the building’s architectural traits will be “preserved”.
Located at the top of Rua Sacadura Cabral, Solar Música Nova belonged to the Barros e Aragões family but was purchased by Loulé council in 2008.
By MICHAEL BRUXO [email protected]
