Mayor unveils restored monument to Clériston Andrade.
The Clériston Andrade Monument, one of Salvador's main symbols, located on Avenida Anita Garibaldi and which suffered a fire in October 2013, was delivered completely restored by Mayor ACM Neto yesterday (30) night; "We had the misfortune of the fire having destroyed almost the entire monument. We then began a rather lengthy, but necessary, process to restore its original characteristics, but above all, to give it even more life, with new lighting and the new square built around it. This is further proof that Salvador is gradually getting its public spaces and facilities back," said the mayor.
Bahia 247 - The Clériston Andrade Monument, one of Salvador's main symbols, located on Avenida Anita Garibaldi and which suffered a fire in October 2013, was delivered completely restored by Mayor ACM Neto (DEM) yesterday evening (30) in a ceremony attended by visual artist Mário Cravo Jr., who conceived the tribute in the 80s and followed the recovery process, and the widow of the honoree, Ceci Andrade.
The area surrounding the monument was also completely redeveloped and transformed into a recreational area. The civil engineering work was carried out by the Salvador City Hall, while the artistic aspects were coordinated by Mário Cravo Jr. himself.
In addition to molding the semi-spherical caps with a fiberglass surface, a shade close to that used in the original 1983 piece was applied. The individual brass plates were also replaced, and the surface layer of Clériston Andrade's head figure was restored, along with representations of the other victims of the plane crash that resulted in the death of the former mayor of Salvador (from April 1970 to March 1975).
ACM Neto said that the restoration of the monument is a demonstration of respect for the city's memory. "We had the misfortune of the fire destroying almost the entire monument. We then began a rather lengthy, but necessary, process to restore its original characteristics, but above all, to give it even more life, with new lighting and the new square built around it. This is further proof that Salvador is gradually regaining its public spaces and facilities."
History
Standing 14 meters tall, the Clériston Andrade Monument has a structure made of materials such as aluminum, fiberglass, copper sheets, marble, and concrete. The work was unveiled in 1983 in honor of the former mayor of Salvador, Clériston Andrade, who died a year earlier in a helicopter accident during his campaign for governor of Bahia. In October 2013, a fire severely damaged the structure.
New leisure area
The area surrounding Clériston Andrade, in the median strip of Garibaldi Avenue, now boasts a new recreational space with a jogging track and completely renovated walkways, a children's playground (including one specifically for children up to five years old with protective fencing), an outdoor gym for promoting health, and special lighting. The improvements also included tree pruning, cleaning of the drainage system, leveling, and replacement of damaged gutter grates.