A new shopping & entertainment Plaza is shaping up on Palm Beach, called Paseo Herencia, designed with a wink at Aruba’s cultural and historical heritage. The building itself draws inspiration from traditional Aruban elements of décor, delivering a tropical, colonial, open air ambiance and feel. True to the signature style of local architects, father & daughter duo, Dan Odouber & Denise Oduber-Louvera, the complex will boast Dutch-style gables, slanted tile roofs and Spanish decorative columns as well as a 90 foot tall, ornamental bell-tower, with an 8-foot clock. The easily recognizable aesthetics of these two gifted builders has been evolving in Aruba over the past 20 years with the construction of famed landmarks such as Playa Linda, Costa Linda and Sun Plaza, just to name a few. Paseo Herencia is an ambitious project with a parking garage of three decks, a total of 8,500 square meters accommodating 320 cars. That portion of the project alone is reportedly budgeted at over 2.7 millions florins. Alex Louvera, Denise’s husband is in charge of construction. His company Konstructiva is pushing the project along nicely with a soft opening earmarked for the spring. General Manager Valerie Pietersz-Camacho is assisted by Laureen Eman, at the helm of entertainment, tenant relations, security and maintenance, in the cluster fifty-seven swanky stores. A Taste of Belgium is opening a second chocolate shop according to co-owner Peter Balliere. A Taste of Belgium will be serving gourmet sandwiches and specialty coffees and making those famous Belgian frits, served with mayonnaise available around the clock. Also in the complex Maggy’s flag ship perfumery with fragrances and cosmetics; Thank God It’s Friday, a happening eatery out of Venezuela; a Seafood Restaurant, a Steakhouse and jazz club, the later by famed Italian chef Vittorio Muscariello of Hostaria Vittorio, who is a jazz buff; Aruba Joe, by the developers of Iguana Joe and Smokey Joe. That restaurant is also thinking of putting in a micro brewery; Diesel Jeans, New Balance sports gear, Colombian Emeralds International, Javaruba Batik Fashions, Kenro Jewelers, Marriott Vacation Club, a Radio station which will broadcast from a glass encased studio, Kok Optica, Aruba Aloe, Occitan, European lingerie and more. Two stories of shopping & entertainment wrapped around an 8-meter pool with Waltzing Water, a Las Vegas style extravagance of water, music and color exclusively contracted with Paseo Herencia. Imagine, Aruba’s national anthem set to dancing water jets with liquid fireworks in blue, yellow and red as a backdrop to Aruba’s Barracudas, the cute synchronized swim club performing a few times a week for Paseo shoppers. Movies. Heritage Development Company NV is determined to infuse sports, culture, political and social content, in three different languages, Papiamento, Spanish & English to make Paseo a true reflection of Aruba today and convince visitors and locals that Palm Beach is the heart of Aruba’s leisure activities . . .
TOPPING OF THE ROOF.
We were invited on Friday to participate in Paseo Herencia’s Spantenbier, raising the Aruban flag and symbolically pouring beer over roof rafters as construction reached the highest point. The corner stone on Paseo Herencia was laid in February 2005. The plan called for 8 stand alone buildings, 12 kiosk-style structures and four level parking garages. With forty shops, nine restaurants and eateries, and six state-of-the-art cinemas all rented out, Paseo Herencia is already a success story. Builder Alex Louvera praised his crew for their dedication; he also gave thanks to his bankers and financiers, as well as the government officials who believed in the project while Architect Dan Oduber credited his daughter with the beauty and fine detail of the place. Denise reports the colors are minerals, not paint, and that it was very difficult to get the lose powders past suspicious customs agents. She also reports the antique-like pavers are imported from Belgium, and are stressed to give the complex an old village charm. Richard de Veer then toured the press and introduced us to the movies. Wow. Six cinemas with reclining, comfy seats, seating from 125 to 230 each, operated by Aruba’s movie-experts E. de Veer Cinemas, from Renaissance Marketplace. I wanted to spend the balance of the afternoon right there in my seat watching the huge screen and rocking in my chair!
