Egypt inaugurates iconic Baron Palace amid renewed interest in Heliopolis heritage

The building started to fall into decay following the decision of the Empain family to sell the palace in the 1950s after three generations had lived there. It was not until 2005, on the centenary of Heliopolis, that the Ministry of Housing acquired the building and handed it to the Ministry of Culture, at the time responsible for antiquities. The gardens were then renovated and used to organize a number of social events. But the palace remained neglected until mid-2017, when its comprehensive restoration started.

“[The renovation] is a kind of requalification of the building and its uses,” said Moamen Othman, the person responsible for the museums department at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. He told Al-Monitor during the inauguration of the site, “[The idea is] to tell the story of the palace itself and also to tell the story of Heliopolis. This is a very important place and it was the main building of the area, so why not explain to the local community their story and the story of the buildings that existed [here].”

The assistant to the minister of tourism and antiquities for investment and developing financial resources, Eman Zidan, previously told Al-Monitor that the ministry would announce soon a public-private partnership for the operation of the palace, following a similar contract signed June 2 on the management of the Cairo Citadel.

“The collective memory of the people still living do not recollect that this place was ever used,” Asmar said. “This was the symbol of Heliopolis, yes — but it was left [abandoned].” 

He added, “[Its restoration] is a very strong statement to value the city that eventually became part of Cairo, and that was built with a very strong planning, a very strong art approach and a very strong focus on the quality of life.”

For Asmar, there is still a long way to go in the conservation of the district’s heritage. Article 50 of the Egyptian Constitution — which the group helped push forward — states the state’s commitment to protect and maintain its heritage, including architecture, but this first step has not yet been followed by more specific laws or executive acts, he noted.

“We have still not reached a continuous work on heritage building protection. We are firefighting instead of agreeing on a certain strategy of renovation and legislation,” Asmar added. “The authorities use [the legislation in place] to protect some buildings, but there is a lot of regretful deterioration that happened and that the laws could not prevent.”

Yet over the last decade, Asmar argued that a significant change took place in regard to the concern that the inhabitants of Heliopolis show toward the heritage of the district. “One of the purposes of our initiative was to make every Heliopolitan a watchdog to see what is wrong,” he said.

Now, the main historical buildings of the district are starting to attract the attention of the local authorities. The main example of this renewed interest is the Palace of Sultana Melek, which lies next to Baron Palace. Also designed by Marcel, the palace was built for Sultan Hussein Kamel, son of Khedive Ismail, and remained the residence of his wife — who gives the name to the building — until her death. The site was declared a registered monument in 2000, and is currently being renovated, Othman said.

A third iconic building of Heliopolis, the Hippodrome, was also about to be demolished but is now being restored, Asmar said, pointing out that building owners in the district are starting to pay more attention and accept the regulations of heritage. Other well-known buildings in the area, such as the Heliopolis Palace Hotel and the Heliopolis Basilica, are featured also in the exhibition at Baron Palace.

“[The inauguration of Baron Palace] is a message that we send to the people,” Othman said. “We must conserve our heritage.”

He concluced, “There are still very important buildings [in Heliopolis], so people can see them and understand how important their conservation is. Not only of Baron Palace, but of all the buildings in this area, which is a historical district with historical buildings and a very important heritage.”