History

Brief History of the Institution

Costa Rica's Central Bank, concerned for our cultural and archeological patrimony, assembled the collection of pre-Columbian gold between 1950 and 1974. Simultaneously, it began a collection of numismatics and acquired national art works. Initially, a public gallery was created in the Bank, but when the collections grew, the decision was made to build a museum designed exclusively to house these collections related to the history of Costa Rica.

Between 1978 and 1982, the permanent home of the Costa Rica's Central Bank collections was completed in the subterranean building under the Plaza de la Cultura, thus providing a new cultural center in San Jose. The investment made in this structure is only comparable to that made in the construction of the National Theatre, nearly a century earlier, another highlight in the history of architecture in Costa Rica.

As of 1983, the Museums began to house a great number of temporary exhibitions. On September 15th, 1985, the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum Álvaro Vargas Echeverría was re-inaugurated on this site, and in 1990, to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Central Bank, the Numismatic Museum opened its doors under the name of Jaime Solera Bennett.

On November 10th, 1993, under Law No. 7363, and for the purpose of enabling more efficient cultural work, the Foundation for the Administration of the Central Bank Museums was created. Since then, a qualified group of interdisciplinary professionals has put great effort into offering the visiting public new and varied exhibitions. Research, technical publications, school programs, workshops and concerts for the public are part of this Cultural Center's public programming, which continues to strive for excellence through education.

On September 14th, 2002, the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum was re-inaugurated with a new exhibition design. In turn, the Numismatic Museum was re-inaugurated, after a complete remodeling, on November 1st, 2005 , with the exhibition entitled "From the 'Real' to the 'Colón' : A History of Costa Rican Currency."  

Structural Details of the Building

The building, a landmark in Costa Rican architecture, is the country’s only underground construction, designed specifically to accommodate a museum.  Shaped like an inverted pyramid, it has three architectural levels that reach a depth of 12 meters below street level.

The Plaza is a 45 x 80 square-meter open area with a fountain, green areas and several levels. In the Plaza de la Cultura people are the protagonists, infusing the space with meaning whenever they use and share it. The space has acquired vital significance with its powerful symbolic values that endow the heart of the city with character.

The construction materials for this building include concrete for the walls, Costa Rican marble for the floors, and rain tree (cenízaro) for the handrails (the rain tree is a precious Costa Rican wood currently considered an endangered species). In addition, the exhibition gallery floors are made of small pieces of sura or tall guava, another semiprecious Costa Rican wood.

The Central Bank Museums building was designed by Costa Rican architects Jorge Bertheau, Jorge Borbón and Edgar Vargas.

History of the Plaza de la Cultura Project

In the last third of the twentieth century the city of San José experienced such explosive architectural and demographic growth that pedestrians lost their spaces, which by then were filled with buildings, buses and cars. As a result of this change, various cultural personages began to argue for the need to give the city public spaces that would improve the quality of life for visitors to the capital.

Within this context the Plaza de la Cultura project was born, in 1973, after the National Theater had been declared a national monument and its surrounding area had been declared of public interest. In 1975 the Costa Rican Central Bank took over the project and its funding to create a space for exhibiting its pre-Columbian gold, numismatic and art collections.

The original architectural project covered two large areas: the block to the north, and the block to the south of the National Theater. On the northern block the Central Bank Museums of Costa Rica would be located, and on the southern block a 255-person annex to the National Theater, a painting workshop, a ballet school and a large rehearsal hall for the National Symphony Orchestra would be built. In the end, only the project proposed for the northern block was built.

Some of the old buildings on this block that ended up being demolished were the Hotel Panamerican, the Botica Mariano Jiménez (pharmacy), Laboratorios Eos, Antiguo Bazar La Casa (variety store), Librería López (bookstore), Óptica Rivera (opticians) and the Casino Español.

The initial design was for a building with at least two subterranean levels and three above-surface levels – a “partially visible” building of modern architecture that would offer no competition for the National Theater.

After the demolition work was completed and an up-to-then unknown part of the National Theater was uncovered, the decision was made to change the project to make it completely subterranean.

Thus it was that from 1977 to 1982 the space was built which today consists of the Central Bank Museums and Plaza de la Cultura.

The project’s goals were to:

• return the National Theater to its architectural and cultural prominence;
• give the Costa Rican public the legacy of its indigenous ancestors with the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum exhibition; and offer the capital’s pedestrians a place for enjoyment and recreation.