WMF Journal


April 26, 2010

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From Pre-Hispanic Ruins to Enhanced Reality Designers

Posted by Norma Barbacci, Program Director for Latin America, Spain, and Portugal
World Monuments Fund
La Merced Façade

I landed in Guatemala City and headed for the historic center to meet the Friends of La Merced, a private group working with the Ministry of Culture in the rehabilitation of a religious complex completed in 1813. The neighborhood of La Merced has retained the historic character and charming low scale of 19th-century Guatemala.

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April 15, 2010

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World Monuments Fund

I visited Russborough House, a 2010 Watch site, on March 22nd, following the news that a fire had severely damaged the west wing of the house. At the time of the fire, the west wing was in the process of being renovated internally for use as vacation apartments.

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March 16, 2010

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Synagogue Project Sparks Neighborhood's Revitalization

Posted by Ben Haley, Communications Manager
Paradesi Synagogue's 18th-century clocktower
Paradesi Synagogue's 18th-century clocktower

At the far end of a long, narrow commercial street in the Mattancherry section of Kochi (formerly known as Cochin), in the southern Indian state of Kerala, is Paradesi Synagogue. This remarkable building is the oldest synagogue in India and the British Commonwealth.

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February 3, 2010

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Merritt Parkway, Connecticut
Merritt Parkway, Connecticut

I lucked out when I scheduled my ride on the Merritt Parkway on a perfectly sunny, clear, cold day in early January. Jill Smyth, the Director of the Merritt Parkway Conservancy (MPC), picked me up at the Stamford train station and we began our visit with a drive to the southern gateway.

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December 21, 2009

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Climbing the Blue Mosque’s Minaret

Posted by Gaetano Palumbo, Program Director for North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia
World Monuments Fund
Scaffolding surrounds the Blue Mosque's minaret

Have you ever climbed a minaret? Admittedly, it can be scary to perch on a small balcony, over 100 feet above the ground. Next question: have you ever climbed a minaret FROM THE OUTSIDE?

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