The owners of Luna Park stadium have rebuked “absolutely false” press coverage over the potential demolition of the historic Buenos Aires venue.
In a press statement issued last Friday, Luna Park SA restated its commitment to preserving “the historical and cultural value” of the 93-year-old music and sports arena.
“It is important to emphasise that it is absolutely false that the stadium is going to be demolished, as some media publications have circulated,” it read.
The stadium’s owners denied claims reported last week, including in the Times, that the building will be demolished. They also pushed back against reports that the project won swift approval from the authorities.
Argentina’s National Commission for Monuments has handled the property since it was declared a National Historic Monument in 2007, legally protecting it from structural modification.
“[This process] was carried out in compliance with all institutional transparency protocols,” the company stressed.
City heritage organisations have expressed concern that the controversial renovations could damage the historic monument that has charmed spectators, famous boxers and Argentine rockstars for nearly a century.
“Our argument is that today’s Luna Park is un mito of the city, in all of its dimensions, both physical and non-physical,” said Fundación Ciudad Programme Coordinator Mora Arauz.
“It deserves to be conserved as it currently is,” with the necessary modernisations, but “without reforming its structure,” she said.
Luna Park representatives argue the structural alterations will restore the venue as a key destination in the city’s bustling microcentro.
Those in favour of a renovation say the facility — which was built in 1932 — is outdated. Many touring artists opt to perform at more modern venues such as the 15,000-person capacity Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires’ Villa Crespo neighborhood.
The property is co-owned by the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires and the Catholic Salesian Society, through Stadium Luna Park SA, and was recently leased to influential entertainment firm DF Entertainment for a minimum of 20 years.
After the death of former Luna Park owner and boxing devotee Tito Lectoure in 2002, 95 percent of the company was left to Cáritas Argentina and the Salesian Society, and five percent was left to a family member, Perfil reported.
The renovations — although not detailed in the statement — will benefit nearby businesses, entrepreneurs and cultural programmes, according to Luna Park SA. It pledged to use “sustainable technologies and practices to improve energy efficiency, optimise resource consumption and reduce the stadium’s environmental impact.”
DF Entertainment owner Diego Finkelstein hopes to increase access and ticket sales by expanding the venue’s capacity by 53 percent from 8,500 to 13,000 spectators, according to the plans.
“The history of Luna Park is a history of transformations, remodels and repurposing, modernising its installations and fixing structural misalignments to prepare it for the future,” the press release said.
Finkelstein’s plans have passed the first phase of approval by the National Commission for Monuments, and now awaits review by City Mayor Jorge Macri and Pope Francis, due to the Catholic majority partnership.
by Zella Milfred
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