MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ancap refinery becomes National Historic Monument in Uruguay

Construction of the refinery started three years after Ancap's foundation

A refinery belonging to Uruguay's state-run oil company Ancap has been declared a National Historic Monument for its unique architectural design, it was announced.

Construction of the La Teja refinery began in 1934, under a blueprint from architect Rafael Lorente and was granted monument status Tuesday by the National Cultural Heritage Commission for its design.

The cermony marking the building's new condition was attended by Ancap CEO Alejandro Stipanicic; Heritage Director William Rey and the Education Minister Pablo da Silveira.

The Heritage Commission praised Lorente's work at Ancap, which he first joined as a technical draftsman.

The structure of the refinery is made up of six buildings “white, sober and forceful at the same time, which are integrated into the physical landscape in affinity with the dock and the oil tanker.”

“In this set of works, architectures handled with skill by the author are manifested, who, through his own gestures, combines elements of the expressionist repertoire, rationalism and Dutch expressionism, in addition to collecting suggestions from the landscape itself associated with the nautical universe. It is well made up of the fire station, the administrative office building, the pump room, the management building, the laboratory building, the steam power plant, and the place known as 'La Capilla,'” a Heritage statement read.

The building was chosen to become a National Historical Monument for being an “exceptional example of great heritage wealth, (...) for being conceived as one of the great infrastructure works promoted by the public administration in the 1930s, and for being part of a short period and in a limited portion of area, a repertoire of modern architecture of great quality and actuality,” it was explained.

Stipanicic highlighted the value of Lorente's legacy, whom he defined as a person who fought to “preserve the historical wealth that this country has,” while Rey said the refinery was “the best architectural work in the country.”