The “Insular” cookie company, the essential cookie source for the population, moved its installations to the Free Trade Zone in Caniçal long time ago. The space in Town had become too tight; getting the lorries into the Travessa da Malta was already a problem. Cookies are now made in Caniçal, and the old building remained empty. As any old factory building with high floors and a cranky elevator, it could have been ideal for Lofts à la New York. The owners must have had reasons to keep it waiting for a revival. After a fire set by a homeless person, the issue of doing something with it became urgent. It was sold, and the new construction for Savoy is under way, apparently with parts of the façade to be kept in place.
The question of the seafarer among us was: Why were they allowed to tear down the tall chimney, which did not collapse during the fire? This is a landmark in marine maps; these chimneys are needed for navigation. To the skeptical among us: the company is now in the process of erecting a new chimney (or simply a tower) to fulfil the marine regulation.
Ursula Hahn
info at madeira-weekly.com
