Revitalization of Band House is part of the conditioning works for the resettlement of Paracatu de Baixo
The revitalization works at Band House, belonging to the centenary Sao Caetano Musical Society, in the Monsenhor Horta district, in Mariana (MG), began in September. The space is 16 km from the city’s headquarters and, after the interventions, will house assets of historical value in the music of Mariana.
During the period of execution of the interventions, foreseen for 8 months, the surroundings of the property will remain isolated by hoarding panels, with a safe path for pedestrians covering part of the Jadir Macedo square. The space is located in the Monsenhor Horta Urban Historic Center and is currently in an advanced degree of deterioration. At the end of 2020, emergency shoring was carried out as a safety and preservation measure.
The property has approximately 100 m² of built-up area and, as it is in a region listed by the Municipal Cultural Heritage, its size and façade will be preserved. Accessibility improvements will be carried out, with an access ramp and the adaptation of the bathroom for people with reduced mobility, replacement of degraded tiles and maintenance on the masonry, consisting of wattle and daub and adobe (raw earth). In addition, the floor will be restored and the kitchen’s wood stove preserved, with the restoration of its chimney.
The revitalization of Band House follows the conceptual project of the Mariana City Hall and is carried out by the Renova Foundation. The Municipal Board of Cultural Heritage of Mariana (Compat) defined this work, through environmental constraints, in view of the impacts caused by truck traffic in Monsenhor Horta for the construction of the resettlement of Paracatu de Baixo.
The works take place from Monday to Friday, from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. Prevention measures due to Covid-19 include testing 50% of workers every 20 days, alternately, daily temperature measurement and mandatory use of masks and alcohol hand sanitizer. Upon completion of the interventions, the property will be handed over to the management of the City of Mariana.
Band House
The historic property was used by the Sao Caetano Musical Society, founded in 1836, for rehearsals and music lessons for many years. In 1993, the community found music sheets, photos and letters in the attic of another house, owned by the Ramos family, one of the founders of Monsenhor Horta’s band. The collection was also quite deteriorated and was handed over to the Institute of Human and Social Sciences of the Federal University of Ouro Preto (Ufop) so that it could be restored.
The Band House was born, then, as a space to house the materials found, bringing together part of the district’s history and its relationship with music. The Sao Caetano Musical Society is the oldest in the Inconfidentes region, the third in Minas Gerais and the fourth in Brazil. In 2016, it was recognized as Mariana’s intangible heritage.
Hoarding Panels
During the period of execution of the works, the hoarding panels used around the property will inform about the interventions to be carried out. They will also tell a little of the history with photos of the Sao Caetano Musical Society, including details about its recognition as Mariana’s intangible heritage, and the birth of Band House.
What are conditional actions?
The actions carried out by the Renova Foundation in Mariana and along the Doce River basin can be divided into three types, according to their objective: reparations, conditional and compensatory measures.
To carry out activities that will change an environment, whether urban or in nature, it is necessary to have the approval or license from public agencies to start the activity. Some licenses may bring conditions to be met to mitigate or compensate for the impacts caused by the activity. These are the conditional actions.
The resettlements in Mariana, for example, have 166 conditional actions, which are related to environmental management and monitoring activities, studies, transfer of resources and works.