Since the very beginning of this Republic, around 1830, 18 de Julio avenue became the city hub, with its luxurious residences, the most important stores and State buildings, and by the early 80s its decline began. When shopping malls first appeared in 1985, offering a most comfortable and safe environment for costumers, Downtown lost reputation. The same happened with the prices of properties, which dropped in the 2002 crisis.
The plan also intends to recover the historical facades, limit graffiti, regulate the street trade and install new lightening.
Eleonora Bianchi, Head of the IMM Urban Conditioning Department, explained that 42 new columns with LED light and system for electronic banners are to be installed, eliminating the aerial wiring. The replacement of lamps will cost $11,2 million.
According to Pallares, pedestrians can already notice some changes, for example the mural from the Argentinean architect Clorindo Testa or Palacio Lapido, which was covered by a neon sign. She added that “in some cases, as in Palacio Díaz, when the signs were removed, some murals and original details from some buildings were removed”.
“18 de Julio shows a great architectural variety, with different styles and language,” stated Rey, “with samples from the end of the 19th Century, early in the 20th Century, modern from the 40s and Art Decó from the 30s”.
Shopping Hub
Nelson Gagliardi, president of Grupo Centro, states that “this is an excellent stage in the life of our main avenue” where there are no more empty premises and there is significant investment.
Montevideo´s downtown started changing in 2011 with Law 18.795, said the real estate expert Julio Villamide, and is now the neighborhood with most projects these days, even more than Pocitos.
By 2010 there were already improvements in commercial terms. As stated by a survey carried out by Equipos Mori, upon request of Grupo Centro, around 400 thousand people attended to the downtown of the city each day and in most of the cases, 55% did so in order to go shopping.
It reached its peak, as says the head of Grupo Centro, in 2011 and 2012, a period of record sales in the retail market “although it remains in satisfactory levels”.
Grupo Centro, prime mover of measures as Día del Centro, which offers VAT discounts and other promotions, covers stores in Cordón and Ciudad Vieja.
Gagliardi mentioned that the vast majority of the 1,200 shops on the avenue are part of Grupo Centro.
However, for a long time this phenomenon did not apply to malls, which used to have few attendance and empty shops. Fortunately, in the last few years “these recovered value,” he indicated as it happened with “Avenida SanFyS”, a project which turned the former Galería San Felipe y Santiago into a space dedicated to national design.
Regarding Expoferias (roofed markets), he said that was significant investment to enhance the premises.
Villamide considers that these changes in 18 de Julio will push up the value of the area.
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