Historic water tanks in Kibaima get a new future as Knowledge and Heritage Center
ORANJESTAD — On Wednesday, September 16, the Government and the Aruba Monumentenfonds Foundation (SMFA) signed the transfer of the water tanks in Kibaima.
A cooperation agreement for the restoration project was also signed.
This is an important step for the preservation and restoration of this industrial monument in Kibaima. Following the restoration, the tanks will take on a new function as the Knowledge and Heritage Center of the National Archives of Aruba (ANA).
The plan to repurpose the reservoirs began several years ago. Prior to 2020, SMFA—together with BOEi (National Company for the Preservation, Development, and Exploitation of Cultural Heritage) from the Netherlands and students from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences—initiated research into various possibilities for a new purpose for the monument. Several options were explored, but a concrete destination was chosen after the National Archives of Aruba approached the Monumentenfonds looking for a new location.
The plan by the National Archives of Aruba is to create a knowledge and heritage center. The center will offer space for research, education, documentation, conservation, and the presentation of Aruba's history and heritage. In this way, a location that was previously essential for Aruba's water supply will receive a new social function focused on knowledge, history, and development.
The project will be carried out in multiple phases. Jennilee Schotborgh, project manager for the Aruba Monumentenfonds Foundation, will oversee the restoration project.
The first phase has already begun: since last year, the various requirements of the National Archives of Aruba have been studied. For the second phase, a specialist will be selected for the design. The team will include an architect and experts in construction and restoration, who will be responsible for the design process across three phases. Throughout this process, account must be taken of both the historical aspects of the monument and the requirements for transforming the interior into an archive and knowledge center. Finally, the contractor responsible for executing the project will be selected. The entire project is expected to be completed in 2029.
History of the water reservoirs in Kibaima
The historic reservoirs in Kibaima tell an important part of the history of Aruba's drinking water supply. The first two reservoirs were built in 1931 and 1932 by the National Water Supply Service as part of the development of a modern water distribution system for our island. Two more reservoirs were added in 1941 and 1942.
The water reservoirs possess not only cultural-historical value, but also significant architectural and technical value. Together with the water towers of Oranjestad and San Nicolas and the water reservoir in Rancho, they form tangible proof of the development of water distribution in Aruba.
With this adaptive reuse, the reservoirs will once again become an active part of the community. Where they previously fulfilled an essential function for one of Aruba's basic needs—water—they will become in the future a place dedicated to knowledge, history, education, and heritage.
The Aruba Monumentenfonds Foundation thanks the Government of Aruba, Archivo Nacional Aruba, WEB Aruba, Smart Community, and FCCA for their trust and cooperation in this transfer, so that together we can preserve the past for the future!