Friday, November 29, 2013

A New Life for the Old Slaughterhouse II


The front of Bogotá's old slaughterhouse, soon to be a library.

After many years of abandonment, Bogotá's old slaughterhouse, on Carrera 13 and Carrera 31, has found a new calling: It's to be the Universidad Distrital's new library and cultural center.

Opened in 1926 and shut in 1978 because of its unsanitary conditions, it latered housed people displaced by the bulldozing of the old Cartucho neighborhood. The restoration cost 28 billion pesos and lasted about two years.

Sadly, the slaughterhouse's closing didn't end the slaughtering of animals for Bogotanos' diets.

See pictures here and an article here. And pre-restoration photos here.



Hopefully, the new library will revitalize the run-down neighborhood. 

I suppose that this structure behind the slaughterhouse building was used to observe the doomed animals. Now, it's to be an observatory for the stars, instead. 




Plaza de Ferias. Paradoxically, the animals on the plaque above appear very tranquil.
The old chimney still rises above the building.
Two photos of the slaughterhouse lot pre-renovation:




By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

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