Efforts are underway to restore the lovely old Palazzo Carafa, in Valletta. It is a shame to see such beautiful old buildings fall to ruin, so investment in such an extensive restoration project must surely find widespread support.
It is often ownership issues that create obstacles to regenerating buildings like this. So it is bonus when a property, in this case owned by the Archdiocese of Malta, is not held back by such difficulties.
Another big hurdle is funding. Restoration is an expensive business. Especially in sensitive and historic areas like Valletta, it is important that funding channels are in place to assist in this special city’s regeneration.
Occasionally, the funding is in place and there are bureaucratic hurdles standing in the way. This is what NGO Din l-Art Ħelwa is experiencing as it is taken on a merry-go-round of government entities for a guardianship agreement to be signed before it restores a medieval chapel in Rabat and the Australian Bungalow, in Għammieri.
Part of the restoration process involves making decisions on which elements of old buildings should be retained or removed. This is a sensitive task that should draw on all available expertise.
The ‘true character’ of a property the age of Palazzo Carafa is not fixed in one moment of time. The history of a building is a series of episodes, as the property is adapted for different purposes over the decades or centuries.
A decision was recently made to remove a theatre that was built in a hall at the palazzo during the first half of the 20th century. This was one of the earliest halls to be set up with a projector to show films in Valletta.
This theatre space had flourished until the late 1930s under the direction of the Umberto Primo School and was then taken over by the Circolo Gioventù Cattolica.
After the closure of the Manoel Theatre and the destruction of the Royal Opera House in World War II, it was for a time the only functioning theatre in the capital city. Eventually, it was closed down and fell into disrepair, with its stage and some props gathering dust. As part of the restoration of Palazzo Carafa, a decision was made to completely remove it. This led to an outcry among people interested in the history of theatre in Malta.
If more funds and facilities were available to preserve elements that reflect our social history, efforts to retain them – or alternatively to dismantle and document them – would possibly be made more readily.
This episode bears echoes of the removal of the 1970s parliament room, which was housed in the Palace, in Valletta until a few years ago.
A decision was made to remove it and, eventually, reinstate the Armoury that was there previously.
However, it was deemed important that the physical elements of the parliament room would be carefully dismantled to enable the reassembling of those same parts elsewhere, to be exhibited and appreciated for historical reasons, if so it were decided in future. After all, this was the first purpose-built national parliament in Malta and many historic episodes took place in that setting.
The theatre at Palazzo Carafa was a minor construction compared to that, and it is unclear whether dismantling was an option.
However, it is to be hoped that any salvageable parts were not completely destroyed as they may be valued as part of Malta’s theatre history.
Malta is rich in built heritage and decisions about what to retain or remove are often fraught with tension. Yet, there is also plenty of expertise available to guide decision-making to the best solutions.