Lisbon City Council is studying the reopening of the Monsanto Panoramic Viewpoint, integrating the services of the Municipal Environment Department into it. It is also considering the total or partial concession of the building.
Lisbon City Council is studying the possibility of reopening the Monsanto Panoramic to the public, integrating it into the "the various dispersed services of the Municipal Directorate for the Environment, Green Spaces, Climate and Energy" and studying the possibility of concessions for part or all of the building, "as the cost of rehabilitating them is very high"said the Councillor responsible for Green Spaces, Ângelo Pereira, at the Municipal Assembly.
With seven thousand square meters, the Monsanto Panoramic was opened in 1968 as a luxury restaurantIt was also a place for the elite who liked to meet and socialize there. Celebrities such as David Bowie have been there, especially during his concert at the Alvalade Stadium in 1990. With an imposing staircase reminiscent of Hollywood films and a panoramic view over Lisbon, the building - built by the Lisbon City Council based on a project by architect Chaves da Costa - is one of the most beautiful in the city. boasts some works of art, including a ceramic panel by Manuela Madureira with "figures and scenes" from the city of Lisbon and a mural by Louis Dourdil, despite the degradation they have been subjected to over the years.
In recent decades, the Panoramic has been deteriorating. After having been a nightclub, a bingo hall, an office and even a building materials warehouse, the building was abandoned in 2001. In 2017, the Lisbon City Council carried out some work to ensure the safety of the space and reopened it, allowing it to host a music and urban art festival curated by Vhils. The mystical side of the space captured the interest of locals and tourists who visited it over the last few years until June 2023, when the municipality closed the space again. This time with 24/7 surveillance to ensure that no more vandalism destroys this city heritage site, the Panorâmico seems to be resisting oblivion, and new plans for the building are underway.
What is being studied?
According to Ângelo Pereira "several studies developed" for the rehabilitation and reconversion of the Monsanto Panoramic. The Councillor responsible for the city's Green Structure told the deputies about the three studies carried out:
- a study of construction safety, "to assess the structural viability of the existing building". According to the person in charge, "this viability has been confirmed, with the need for structural reinforcement at some points and the total renovation of other elements, namely the canopy under the old restaurant";
- a study of economic viability of the Panorâmico rehabilitation operation, which "individualized the costs of structural reinforcement and consolidation, budgeted at 10 million euros, and the costs of a total rehabilitation operation, plus the costs of architectural intervention, budgeted at 13 million euros, based on the average value of construction per unit and area";
- and a study of conversion of the building for municipal usewith the "the possibility of centralizing in it the various dispersed services of the Municipal Directorate for the Environment, Green Spaces, Climate and Energy". Within this framework, an auditorium will be "with capacity for 380 people"a "multipurpose room with around 360 square meters to host various initiatives"of the Chamber and beyond, and the "maintaining the opening of the viewpoint at the top of the building by controlling access and timetables". This study also provides for the building's energy self-sufficiency and the reuse of rainwater for irrigation or toilets, said the mayor.
Ângelo Pereira also explained that, given the high cost of the possible refurbishment of the Panorâmico, is "the development of a concession linked to the environment and ecology, in a total or partial context of the building, is under study". This means that the Monsanto Panoramic could be handed over to a private party to operate all or part of the space (for example, the part that is not occupied by municipal services). In this way, the City Council would save on the building's refurbishment, since the private party would cost the refurbishment work. This concession model would not be unprecedented. Other green spaces in the city of Lisbon have shared management between the municipality and a private party, which, for example, operates them commercially through a cafeteria and terrace.
The Councillor for Lisbon's Green Structure also said that the reopening of the Panorâmico with a new dynamic will require an "intervention in access road infrastructures, as they do not cope with the expected increase in car traffic, such as tourist vehicles". The building is located on Estrada da Bela Vista, a two-way street which, several years ago, became a one-way street with the other lane occupied by a two-way bicycle (and pedestrian) lane.
90 years of Monsanto
At the Municipal Assembly, Ângelo Pereira also revealed that the municipality is "preparing a series of actions and projects that will be announced shortly" to mark the 90th anniversary of Monsanto Forest Park. "We will announce a plan"He told the members of parliament that some of the new developments include the rehabilitation of roads and the respective rainwater drainage systems, "very dilapidated, some due to the storms of November 2022"; the implementation of "sustainable drainage solutions"such as retention basins; the "development of new ecological links", including a "eco-viaduct"new walkways and "uneven walkways linking the park to the city"the restoration of street furniture, some parking lots and sanitary facilities; the creation of "biodiversity stations" for birdwatching, for example; the installation of new information and directional signs; the completion of the regulations governing the use of the Forest Park; and the implementation of the cycle path on the Calhariz de Benfica road.
It should be remembered that EMEL had launched a public tender for this project in 2021, but the procedure was abandoned. “EMEL will resume the process", revealed the Councillor for Green Structure, leaving the President of the Benfica Parish Council in the lurch.. Ricardo Marques has defended the construction of this cycle path on Estrada do Calhariz de Benfica - a project that also includes a green corridor and pedestrian space, with the narrowing of the road channel - because it wants to create a preferential entrance to Monsanto next to the Pina Manique traffic circle, linked to the Benfica train station and the typical Portuguese restaurants in the Calhariz Velho and Buraca neighborhoods.
