2008 Annual Report - World Monuments Fund

The huge growth of cultural tourism throughout the Americas in recent years has
brought visitors to some of the most remote parts of the hemisphere and inundated
some of its most famous places, from national parks in the U.S. to pre-Columbian sites
in the Yucatán. Tourism has opened new opportunities for many of these sites, which
are beginning to gain recognition among travelers seeking destinations off the beaten
path. Our programs in the Americas this year focused on preparing for or managing
expanded tourism in order to preserve heritage sites.
Americas
The
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BuEnos airEs, argEntina
La Merced Church
Visited by thousands of tourists each year, the Church of Nuestra
Señora de la Merced is often included on tours of the historic
center of Buenos Aires. Built between 1733 and 1779 on the
site of an early-17th-century church, it was originally part of
the monastery of Mercedarios, one of the oldest in the city. A
neo-Renaissance façade was added to the building in 1894, when Argentinean
architect Juan Antonio Buschiazzo renovated the structure and its interiors.
The church was declared a National Historic Monument in 1942 in
recognition of its architectural and cultural importance. Despite this
designation, some of the interior furnishings and decorative elements have
deteriorated to varying degrees, but the overall plan remains intact. World
Monuments Fund is supporting the development of a conservation master
plan that will include a detailed survey and documentation of the site. Already
completed is the first phase of the stained glass conservation, which involved
removing the windows, cleaning the glass, replacing the lead cames, and
reassembling and reinstalling them in their original positions.
In addition, urgent conservation work has been completed, the state of
the altar and the organ have been addressed, and the façade has been
stabilized enough to allow work to continue. The master plan will address
other immediate needs of the site as well as the long-term stewardship and
maintenance of the building.