Petition launched to protect housing block

An online petition has been started to rally the public in favor of the preservation of the Rainha Dona Leonor Housing Block, a dilapidated residential building next to Hotel Sintra.

As of yesterday afternoon, the petition had secured about three-quarters of the 500 signatures organizers are seeking.

Last week, the Urban Planning Committee gave the green light to plans that will likely lead to demolition of the housing block.

The housing block, located on Avenida Infante Dom Henrique, is nearly 60 years old and was designed in the late 1950s by architect José Lei. The building was the first high-rise residential building in Macau to be equipped with an elevator.

According to those in favor of protecting the site owned by the Holy House of Mercy, the building showcases the principles and ideals born with the advent of modernist architecture in the second half of the 20th century.

They argue that it “stands among the best expression[s] of the modernist style in Macau” and “innovation in [the] design of a vertical high-rise [building].”

The building is not included on the cultural heritage list, which means it is not protected from renovation or demolition.