The most significant constructions of the period:

Galeria de Arte Moderno or Gallery of Modern Art:  Designed by architect Jose Miniño with the collaboration of Antonio Cassasnovas, Galeria de Arte Moderno was inaugurated in 1976 as part of La Plaza de la Cultura. It is a reinforced concrete structure of four levels. On each level, the rooms are organized around a central opening; a four-level hollow space covered with transparent vaults that illuminate and integrate all four floors. It houses exhibit halls, an auditorium, an art library, and a coffee shop, a warehouse of works in restoration and areas of services.

Palacio de los Deportes or Sports Palace:  Located in the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center, it was built in 1974 for the 12th Central American and Caribbean Games. The center has capacity for 10,000 spectators and is covered by a spherical cupola.

Teatro Nacional or National Theater: Designed by architect Teófilo Carbonell and inaugurated in 1973, the Teatro Nacional is part of the Plaza de la Cultura. It has capacity for 1,589 spectators --918 in orchestra, 589 in balcony and 82 in the theater boxes. For acoustics reasons the walls are covered with wooden strips and the plafond is made of movable panels. The Teatro Nacional also contains two small rooms that hold 200 and 165 spectators respectively, offices, cafeteria and areas of services. The arcs of its façade are trimmed and modulated rhythmically and confer a classic image to the structure. Presently, in the area where the frontal esplanade once stood, a train station for the forthcoming subway system of Santo Domingo is being constructed.

Banco Central or Central Bank: Designed by architect Rafael Calventi, it is a complex that includes a conference center, two auditoriums with capacity for 900 and 200 people respectively, a fourteen-story high office tower and a three level underground structure for security facilities and parking.

Edificio de Oficinas Gubernamentales Juan Pablo Duarte or the Juan Pablo Duarte Governmental Offices Building: Designed by Pedro J. Borrell and inaugurated in 1974. It is a twelve-level, open floor, brutalist style structure made of concrete. It serves as headquarters to various governmental institutions.

Basilica de Higuey or the Higuey’s Cathedral:  Designed by two French architects, Dunover de Segonazc y Dupre, it was built on the grounds of an old church, during the constitutional period of 1974 to 1978. It is one of the most significant religious monuments of the country. It is the place of veneration dedicated to the principal patroness of the Dominican people, Our Lady of la Altagracia.

Edificio Antonio Guzman Fernandez or The Antonio Guzman Fernandez Building: It is a public offices building constructed in Santiago in 1981, and designed by architects Rafael Veras, Pedro Mena and Rafael Gonzalez. Its design is distinguished by its great scale and high degree of dynamism.

Puerto Plata International Airport: It was built between 1974 and 1978, during one of Dr. Balaguer’s governmental periods. Between 1990 and 1994, it underwent extensive renovation and expansion as it was the case with Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo.

Banks and hotels: Throughout the decades of 70's and 80's constructions of innovating designs were erected to house hotels and banks that with time became emblems of Santo Domingo. Such are the cases of the hotels Santo Domingo (1976), the Concorde --today Dominican Fiesta (1973), Lina (1980) and Sheraton --today Meliá Santo Domingo (1977); and of the banks Hipotecario Dominicano (1980), Bancomercio --today Scotiabank (1981), Nacional de la Vivienda (1981) and Nacional de Credito (1983), and  Asociacion Popular de Ahorros y Prestamos (1978), among others.

Faro a Colon or The Columbus Memorial Lighthouse:  It was designed by English architect Joe Gleave in 1931. It was inaugurated on October 6, 1992, during the commemoration of the Fifth Centenary of the Discovery of America and its cost reached US$100 million. It is an impressive structure located in the eastern part of Santo Domingo. Designed in a cross shape, symbol that is repeated throughout the structure as an ornamental element, to emphasize the Christian meaning of the conquest. It has a powerful light that at night projects an image of a cross in the sky which can be seen from anywhere in the city. It has a library, museum, exhibit halls and the mausoleum that contains the remains of Cristóbal Colon. The idea to erect such a monument came from the writer Antonio de Monte y Tejada, who described it in his book History of Santo Domingo, published in 1852.

Catedral de La Vega or the La Vega Cathedral: It was constructed in Balaguer’s period of government 1994-1996. Its design conjugates the byzantine art with modern architecture.

 Bibliography

Arquitectura contemporánea en República Dominicana. Rafael Calventi, Santo Domingo, 1986.

Santo Domingo 1496-1991. Arq. René Sánchez Córdova. Santo Domingo. 1ra edición, 1992.

www.provinciasdominicanas.org

www.rsta.edo/plaza_cultura

www.sdq.com

www.joaquinbalaguer.com.do