Villa Mimi restoration cost about 80,000 euros

The restoration of the historical monument “Villa A. Mimi” in Chisinau was set up at a cost of 83,000 euros, under a €270,000 project whose main contributor is the European Commission. The project was implemented by the Plai Resurse Association during 2007-2009, Info-Prim Neo reports. “In the present conditions, the testaments to our past that can help clarify the controversial problems concerning the appearance and historical development of Chisinau are doomed to demise. Therefore, the reanimation of Villa Mimi is a stimulus to continuing the renovation works in the capital city,” Vlad Melnic, manager of the project “Hist. Urban. Integrated Revitalization of Historical Towns to Promote a Polycentric and Sustainable Development” told a news conference on Thursday. The project aims to promote the balanced and polycentric territorial development at the European level by increasing attractiveness of historical towns, using the cultural heritage as an important factor in the stable economic growth of the European towns. Villa Mimi, which now houses the municipal children’s hospital No. 1, was selected for revitalization because it meets the conditions imposed by the experts of the project. The monument dates from the 19th century. “The building is located in the historical center of the city and represents a valuable monument. It is public property. The renovation was more like a facelift as the support columns, foundation and roof have not been reconstructed,” Vlad Melnic said. Scientific researcher Dinu Postarenco said that the building was painted bright yellow because the examination of the paint layers showed that this was the historical color. Villa Mimi was build between 1870 and 1878 in eclectic, neo-baroque style on a plot bought by merchant A. Mimi. Later Mimi’s descendants sold the building to the Philanthropic Society of the Chisinau Children’s Hospital.