Green House niche in Sliema labeled ‘insult to the community’
The accident of the demolition of an important house in Sliema has been replaced with further disgrace for the “atrocity” of the inclusion of its original niche in the new apartment block.
The incongruous rise from the iconic Green House (Green House), as it was known to the locals, in Triq Sant’Agata, added insult to injury and was described as an abomination.
“Even the saint he was in could not take her and flee,” said one resident resident.
The original property, with its unclear and unusual green façade with a niche and statue, had been recommended by heritage authorities for protection because of its architectural value.
But, in 2019, the Planning Authority approved PA 03062/17 to demolish the 19th century building and make room for an eight-storey apartment block, with basement garages, a maisonette, 11 apartments and a penthouse, despite the objections of residents, groups of heritage and the local council of Sliema.
The plan, at that time, was to maintain the prominent niche, with its statue of the Virgin Mary, which gave its name to the adjacent Santa Marija Street.
The works have now been completed and the finish is the original niche, recently retrofitted between the block’s balconies – not even centered and made shoddily, according to the public – which draws a barrage of disbelief and criticism.
The Sliema local council had lodged an appeal against the demolition decision, calling for the entire façade of the house to be protected but it was rejected.
Even before the niche was re-introduced, the council had argued that the Planning Authority had ignored the “obvious heritage value” of the house and allowed it to be replaced by an “incongruous and aesthetically dubious façade”.
Now, Sliema councilor Paul Radmilli believes the end result is “a hotchpotch of architectural features, where the historic niche is styled with jars and a color scheme of the rest of the new façade” .
He further explained, when they were first built, the open balconies on the first floor did not leave enough space to place the niche and had to be widened after the council pointed this out to the PA.
“We were worried that the outer frame of the niche would not fit in and we were right because parts of the balcony had to be cut to accommodate it,” said Radmilli.
Images of the empty niche, so far, tucked between balconies like a thought behind the scenes, sparked a flurry of reactions, with the block seen as an “insult to the local community, which used the property as a historic monument”.
We also see sarcasm,
with comments on the “tasteful but unfortunate balconies about the jaring niche” and “respect” shown for the “effort to preserve” that the works showed.
Comments also aimed the fire at the architects, asking if they “lost it completely” and said that “if this is not a joke, it is an unbelievable atrocity”.
One resident said she had overheard a conversation between the architect and the contractor deciding whether to get rid of the niche as it seemed to be creating a problem and was disrupting the open balcony.
“Extreme concern” was also expressed about the “mix”, fearing that it would set a trend in which architects could persuade their clients, boards and authorities that the preservation and inclusion of ‘certain details in a contemporary structure may satisfy the need to preserve our heritage…’
The NGO Environment Together for a Better Environment strongly condemned these “machinations” and asked where the PA Design Advisory Committee and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage were in all this.
The condition that the niche should be maintained indicated to most that, at the very least, the façade would remain.
“Instead, a wise architect found a way to avoid that condition, and created the obscenity we see today, which has been re-approved by the PA,” the FAA said.
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