In the procurement of SJSC “State Real Estate” (SRE), six applicants have applied for the renovation of the home of the future exposition for the needs of the Literature and Music Museum (LMM) exposition - the historical house at Mārstaļu iela 6. SRE is starting to evaluate the procurement and will report on its results in the coming month, informs Renārs Griskevičs, Chairman of the Board of SRE.
The building at Mārstaļu iela 6, Riga, will be home to an exhibition dedicated to the two creative industries represented by LMM - Latvian literature and music - where engaging stories and fascinating legends will be found by children, young people, adults, professionals, and simple passers-by and tourists. It is planned that at the end of 2022, the house will open its door with a new, unique exhibition that will tell visitors about the personalities of writers and musicians, with an emphasis on the creative process itself.
Contractors, that have submitted tenders in the procurement: JSC “BŪVUZŅĒMUMS RESTAURATORS”, SIA “Delta Construction”, SIA “Ostas celtnieks”, SIA “RERE MEISTARI”, SIA “Eltex” and SIA “LAGUTA”, JSC “UPB” - from 2.9 to 3.8 million euros (excluding VAT). Renovation and adaptation of the building for the needs of the museum will be financed from the state budget funds attracted by the Ministry of Culture, and also planned museum rent payments. It will only be possible to talk about the winner of the procurement and the amount of the contract after evaluating the tenders.
“We are pleased with the interest of contractors in the renovation of the historic house on Mārstaļu iela. SRE's intention to return the building to the museum will add new, outstanding quality to the story of the historic building. After evaluating the procurement, in the coming months we will give the task to the builders to start renovation of the building, where it is important to preserve the authenticity of the house, while at the same time giving the building a modern touch. Under the terms of the contract, the contractor will be responsible for carrying out the work within 1 year. During the renovation, the museum will acquire modern premises adapted to the needs of the exposition and as a result of the work of restorers, the facade of the house will regain its original splendour and become one of the pearls of Old Riga,” R. Griškevičs points out.
The museum exposition will be located in premises of 1400 m2. The content of the exhibition has been created in close cooperation between LMM art experts and writer Nora Ikstena, artist Anna Heinrihsone, creative director Una Rozenbauma, and musician Sigvards Kļava.
LMM director Iveta Ruskule emphasises that it was very important to feel and understand the atmosphere and life story of the building itself in creating the content of the exhibition. “The house at Mārstaļu iela 6 is a cosy and warm building. Therefore, also thinking about the message of the museum's exposition, it highlights the development stories of personalities in the fields of writing and music in the context of the everyday side of life, in which there is a place for doubt, helplessness, creative rituals and waiting for inspiration until the light of morning or the darkness of night. By this we mean that the gene for creation is not exclusive, it is in each of us, and everyone can create,” reveals Iveta Ruskule, LMM director.
The unique values of the historic building are many, and they will all be integrated into the new function, while the worthless layers and partitions built in recent decades will be dismantled. The curved staircase, wooden panels, parquet and doors of the house will be polished and the attic, which has not been used for a long time, will be open to visitors as an event room with exposed historical structures. The historic brick vault will be exhibited in the basement. There will be a cafe on the ground floor, and a courtyard with a seating area. The courtyard of the building will be a great place for visitors to relax and talk. It is planned to restore the former painting of the artist Helena Heinrihsone on the courtyard wall, removing it from the layering. The small management building will be restored in the courtyard and will retain its warehouse function. At the same time, it is planned to rebuild the building's engineering systems, as well as to install a lift so that the museum will be accessible to people with disabilities. While renovation works are planned in the building, the public has the opportunity to watch the video story of the building at Mārstaļu iela 6, the pages of its history, current situation and future vision, video.
Last year, 17 nationally significant development projects with a total budget of 29.5 million euros were completed under the leadership of SRE. In the conditions of the pandemic, respecting the precautionary and safety requirements, work on 43 different construction sites of national importance with a total project budget of 156 million euros continues under the leadership of SRE. SRE provides professional real estate management and administration for approximately 400 real estate properties with 1100 buildings of 1.02 million square metres and more than 3600 land properties with an area of 9.6 million square metres. SRE was founded in 1996 and its sole (100%) shareholder is the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Latvia.
