The Devesas Ceramics Factory in Gaia to be Converted into a Museum

2 February 2018

The Gaia House wants to build a museum dedicated to the history of the city, as well as a car park, in one of the former factories of Devesas Ceramics, which will be acquired for 2.5 million euros.

The objective of the acquisition, revealed this Friday by the Mayor of Gaia, Eduardo Vítor Rodrigues, is to prevent the construction of the development that had been planned for the site – a 2010 project designed by the architect Joaquim Massena that provided for the creation of 137 housing units, together with retail, and other, facilities. In its place, the city is planning to redevelop the area as a leisure space to be used by the city’s inhabitants.

The property in question has a total area of 13,500 square meters, including the ruins of the former Ceramic and Foundry Factory of Devesas. The city is acquiring the area that once included the factory and residential zones.

Another 3,000-square-meter area, which housed the factory’s kilns, which is located between the Conselheiro Veloso da Cruz street and the Devesas railway line, is not to be included in the transaction.

Mayor Rodrigues said that the Gaia City Council has already requested the national classification of the site from the Directorate General of Cultural Heritage (DGPC), stating “that this area is a part of the city’s heritage and memory.”

The 13,500 square meters that the municipality will acquire will include underground parking for 600 vehicles, a conference room and the Gaia Historical Museum of Ceramics, which will “be an addition to the touristic, cultural and heritage area, attracting visitors to the upper city.”

The museum will occupy about a third of the land, while the rest will be set aside for a public park and green zone.

The acquisition of the land will be discussed on Monday at a meeting of the city council, followed by a second discussion on February 26 in the Municipal Assembly. The project will have to wait for approval by the Court of Auditors, and the municipality is expected to sign the contract in April or May.

Mayor Rodrigues explained that the 2.5 million euros will be paid in cash, without recourse to external financing, and that the project will be subject to a call for proposals, with the participation of renowned architects, expected in the autumn.

“We lacked a focus in the city for our collective history that would help us knit the region together, and, in this way, we also stopped the creation of a development that would have had a significant impact on the region. We will essentially be extending the centre of Vila Nova de Gaia,” the mayor stated.

The site’s proximity to the metro, both the existing one that passes through Avenida da República, and the future Devesas – Campo Alegre line, and to the railway station, among other means of access, was also highlighted by the mayor.

He added that the ceramic tile panels that adorn the wall that surrounds the current ruins of Cerâmica das Devesas are already classified and will be preserved.

Founded in the mid-1860s by José Teixeira Lopes, the Devesas Ceramic Factory was one of the most important in Portugal, dominating the production of ceramic tiles, statues and ornamentation, cast iron artefacts, marble, among other products in the early 20th century.

More than 20 years after the factory ceased operations, the interior of the building (which occupies the block next door to the Devesas train station) has been abandoned, and little is left of the moulds, roofing tiles and ceramic tiles, after years of looting and vandalism.

Original Story: Porto24 / Lusa

Photo: Global Imagens – Leonardo Negrão

Translation: Richard Turner