Progreso, Yucatan (May 24, 2020).- Nine months after announcing his interest in rescuing the Casino de Progreso, which has more than 70 years of history, mayor Julián Zacarías Curi, confrmed that starting on the month of June, the City Council will begin the remodeling of this emblematic space.
Through a video published on his social networks, the municipality recalled the importance of preserving this property, which is located on the corner of Calle 31 and Calle 74 and that, after its abandonment, is currently at risk of not only losing its architecture, but also the reference of many and dear encounters.
“After almost 25 years with the doors closed and the walls increasingly damaged, finally in June we will begin with the transformation and remodeling of our beloved Casino de Progreso, which is a heritage of the people of Progreso,” he stressed.
In addition, the mayor said, “9 months ago I made a promise to you that today is a reality, since the plan presented for the recovery of our Casino has been approved by the Government of the State of Yucatan, and validated by the National Institute of Anthropology and History . “
In this regard, Zacarías Curi emphasized that the new Progreso Casino Social and Cultural Center will seek to highlight the identity of the port and honor the founders, through a wall that will capture their names, so that new generations have knowledge of its origins.
It is important to clarify that the intervention to the emblematic property began on February 2019, when the Progreso council requested the expropriation of the property from the Executive Power of the State of Yucatan, based on a plan presented and approved by the State Government, which explains that the building should be rebuilt, respecting its original exterior design, according to the project validated by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
In this context, in August 2019, the Government of the State of Yucatan, published in the Official Gazette the expropriation of the property known as the “Casino de Progreso”.
Indicating that the State’s obligation to preserve the safety and health of citizens is essential and unquestionable; the improvement of the image and urban environment; and the relevance of the attractions of the city and port of Progreso that make the area a region with a vocation for tourism, combining actions to benefit the municipal and state economy.
Zacarías Curi specified that he will seek legal mechanisms to ensure that the property is declared a city heritage, so that it cannot be sold or compromised in any future administration, and thus provide a cultural and historical site for locals and visitors.
On the other hand and regarding the history of the building, professor Pedro Bermúdez Solís, chronicler of Progreso recalled the beginnings of the Casino, originally named as “Paco Club” in distinction to Mr. Francisco Morales Góllez, founder of the old league of employees “ Benito Juárez ”, member of the Municipal Council and delegate of the Spanish Charity of Progreso, of Canarian origin and who was murdered, at the age of 36, on March 22, 1924, along with Piedad Luna, Cecilio Pérez and Luis Zavala for defending the rights of workers.
And he stressed that, “the initiators of the Casino de Progreso, were formed in a Particular Civil Society by Actions, started on July 16, 1944 under the name of Casino de Progreso S.C. by A. and created for a duration of 50 years, extendable for an additional 25 years, if so determined by the shareholders.
Finally, Bermúdez Solís also highlighted the importance of rescuing such an extraordinary building.
“In a systematic way, during the last municipal administrations, the municipality of Progreso has lost one property per year on average. It is then of urgent social need that Progreso recover this emblematic space, which for decades was totally abandoned and was once considered the cultural center par excellence among the people of Progreso: El Casino de Progreso. ” Pedro Bermúdez Solís concluded
