Historic Casa Amarilla in Tenerife Sees Progress Toward Restoration After Decades of Neglect

The Casa Amarilla in Puerto de la Cruz, a site of global scientific importance, is finally seeing signs of progress after decades of neglect. The building is famous for hosting the first systematic studies on primate intelligence in the early 20th century. According to the newspaper El Día, the local city council is now in active talks with the property’s owners, who have begun cleaning the site and fencing off the perimeter as a first step toward structural repairs.

The property served as the base for the Tenerife Anthropoid Station, where researchers like Eugen Teuber and Wolfgang Köhler conducted groundbreaking work. It was here that Köhler developed the foundations of Gestalt psychology, using experiments with chimpanzees to challenge the scientific theories of his time. Despite being declared a Property of Cultural Interest in 2005, the building has steadily deteriorated since a partial demolition in 1993. This lack of action has long been criticized by the Wolfgang Köhler Association and prominent primatologists, including the late Jane Goodall, who visited the ruins in 2011 and 2023 to call for its restoration.

David Hernández, the first deputy mayor, noted that the owners are now cooperating with municipal requirements. This cooperation offers a potential turning point for a site that has been abandoned for 33 years.

The site’s historical significance is clear: it was here that scientists first proved primates possess intuitive reasoning, putting Tenerife at the center of European experimental science. However, the building’s history has been difficult, marked by financial struggles after World War I, the relocation of research in 1918, and the station's eventual closure in 1920. Because previous promises to restore the building have failed to materialize since the 1990s, both the public and the scientific community remain cautious. The success of this new effort will depend on how quickly the owners submit formal plans and whether they strictly follow heritage conservation laws.