IGV-2
La Floresta was founded in 1783, on the former grounds of Hacienda Santa Ana. The property belonging to Don Francisco Domínguez bordered on the north with Camino Real of Petare (today Avenida Francisco de Miranda), to the west with Seca creek, to the south with Guaire river and to the east with Sebucan creek. There coffee produc-tion began in Caracas, together with neighboring Haciendas Blandín and San Felipe. Dedicated to coffee produc-tion, the property was acquired by the Sosa family in 1915. In 1988, the old house was restored by PDVSA under Paolini’s direction, to convert it into a center for the promotion and dissemination of graphic design, industrial design and photography. Inserted in three hectares of astounding vegetation with over 120 botanical species, the recovery, preservation and intervention project values a contemporary architectural approach that combines restored original remains (on some pillars the original red ochre can be seen, a mixture of dyes with bull’s blood) with new elements. The restored house has corridors, inner courtyards, rooms, stable courtyard, kitchen, grain storage room, threshing room, together with a landscape with great century-old trees. The educational objective of the cultural center, a real oasis in the capital, was modified to become a place to transmit Venezuelan cultural heritage and traditions, and is still run by PDVSA La Estancia.
IGV-3