Tenerife Auditorium: Decay, Delays, and €24M Dispute

The Tenerife government (Cabildo de Tenerife, CC-PP) has been largely silent for nearly a year about fixing the Adán Martín auditorium. President Rosa Dávila herself has admitted the building "is falling apart," a problem that has been clear for a long time.

Back in July 2024, Dávila strongly reacted to news reports about the poor condition of this important island landmark. While speaking to other media, she blamed the previous PSOE and Cs government for the neglect. She also stated that her administration was actively restarting the renovation plans and was even talking with the original architect, Santiago Calatrava, to speed things up.

However, despite approving one million euros in January 2025 for a renovation project (which was first announced in November 2024), it's now almost February 2026, and there have been almost no significant updates. The auditorium remains in the same, if not worse, condition, and it's still unclear who will pay for the necessary repairs.

This ongoing problem will be discussed today in the island's main assembly, the plenary session, after the PSOE raised a question. It's clear that deadlines have been missed. Publicly, it's still unknown who will cover the estimated 24 million euro cost. This is partly due to a dispute between the Cabildo and the architect, Calatrava, over who is responsible for the shiny marble scales (known as trencadis) falling off the building's exterior. Calatrava blames the construction companies that carried out his original design. Although the previous government had reached an agreement with those companies, nothing has changed since then.

The current CC and PP government, which hasn't commented on this since last Wednesday, has stuck to an 18-month deadline – similar to one the previous socialist government under Pedro Martín gave Calatrava. However, since receiving the renovation project in January 2025, they have refused to share it with the PSOE. A document from January 23, 2025, explained this refusal, stating the project is a "technical document" that is "not conclusive or definitive." They argued that sharing it could "cause confusion" and "hinder a quick resolution." The document did, however, confirm the opposition's right to appeal and pursue legal action for transparency.

The PSOE has now ended its informal truce with the government and will question them today about the renovation. If the cost reaches 24 million euros, it will have a major impact. It's still uncertain whether the auditorium will need to close – a one-year closure is being considered – which would disrupt its busy cultural and music schedule, at least in the areas needing the most work. The government has denied any closure, but it's expected that the final project plan, which is still unknown, should determine this.

The final cost, whether 24 million euros or more, also depends on when these estimates were made. In 2024, the island's Culture department suggested the renovation would cost 2.6 million. However, a 2017 Cabildo report estimated 15 million, and by 2022, another report increased that figure to the 24 million euros now being discussed.

These fluctuating cost estimates for the Auditorium reflect its troubled history. The building, intended as an island landmark, has been championed by the CC party through various leaders – Adán Martín, Ricardo Melchior, Carlos Alonso, and now Rosa Dávila (whose government, in partnership with the PP, oversees Culture, though the renovation falls under the Treasury). What was initially projected to cost 26.7 million euros almost 27 years ago eventually tripled to 74 million. On top of that, there's the 1 million for the project and the 24 million for the actual construction work – a figure that will likely increase due to inflation and other factors by the time it's finalized.

Adding to the complications, Calatrava surprisingly admitted at the end of 2024 that he was "not qualified to assume the technical direction of the repair work" and therefore would not oversee it. Since January 2025, there has been almost no new information about the project, which will finally be discussed in today's island plenary session.