The mayor of Sitges, Aurora Carbonell, said that “we should congratulate ourselves because we have a completely remodeled municipal facility with state-of-the-art equipment where artists can show their talent and citizens can enjoy different artistic disciplines” . The mayor of Sitges also wanted to highlight that “this equipment will help strengthen our love of culture, which is part of the DNA of Sitges. After a period of closure due to the renovations, we are now reopening a very important space for culture in general”.

For his part, the Councilor for Culture, Albert Oliver-Rodés, explained that “from now on a procedure is available to follow, at the OAC and through www.sitges.cat so that entities, collectives, theatre companies, musicians, actors and actresses can present their proposals to make use of L’Escorxador as a performing arts centre. As requests are received they will be analysed”. The councilor recalled that “the City Council has made a significant investment of one million euros to address the building’s defects and to provide it with state of the art equipment”. “L’Escorxador is a key part of the history of Sitges and thanks to this new use of the space, we will be able to showcase the creativity and talent we have in our local area, and also in other parts of the country”.

During the opening ceremony, which coincided with Music Day, the ‘Imprescindibles 2024’ series of events were presented, which will be held as part of the Terramar Festival. To close the ceremony, there was a live concert by the group Últim Cavall.

Renovation

The remodeling project began in 2020 with a citizen participation process to canvas public opinion on possible uses for different facilities in Sitges. In the case of the L’Escorxador,  the decision was to use it for cultural purposes.

The renovation has mainly consisted of addressing cracks, erosion of bricks, rusting of metal elements, degradation of the carpentry and water leaks in the roof.

A mezzanine has been incorporated in the storage area, between the access area and the main room, and new carpentry has been carried out in the main access and in the windows on the side facades. Although no changes have been made to the building’s volume or structure, one of the original doors on the south-facing side facade has been recovered. Thus, the essence of the building has been preserved, but it has been adapted to create a multipurpose room to meet current needs.

The renovation permits an open-plan room with mobile furniture (such as portable benches, stackable chairs, removable stage, etc.). In addition, the project incorporates a technical room, and a pergola has been installed on the outside of the building – next to Calle Onze de Setembre – where small outdoor events can also be held.

The project was approved by the town hall in April 2021, with a budget of €800,000 plus €250,000 for the technical equipment.

 The Building

The building appears in the Sitges Architectural Heritage Catalogue as a Cultural Property of Local Interest.