Bryan Morris - Aruba’s Premier Wedding Photographer

This edifice was not constructed for the purpose it’s being used today.

This house was built by the great builder of that time Mer(d)ardo ‘Dada’ Picus. This project was most probably drawn up, supervised and built by him. This massive project for that time spanned 1545 m2 through three different streets, Wilhelminastraat, Schoolstraat and Oranjestraat.

This building was the home as well as the doctor’s office and pharmacy of Dr. Jacobo Eloy Maria Arends born on April 19th, 1893. It was built for the marriage to Maria Monica Lacle, born on May 4th, 1900.
She was the daughter of Adriaan Lacle, whom Adriaan Lacle Blvd was named after.

Back then it was imperative to have a new furnished house to put your wife in if you had plans of getting married. Construction commenced shortly after the engagement in 1922. Monica was not allowed to see the house so she was prohibited to come in close proximity of the house.

The home was furnished by the sisters of “Loy” as the doctor was lovingly called while they were on vacation, so Monica got to see her new house fully furnished upon return of her honeymoon.

Family Arends migrated to Aruba since the second half of the 18th century; the family was very affluent business people.

Dr Eloy Arends graduated in Amsterdam and became the first government’s physician on the island of Aruba, a very different career choice.

Even though Dr. Eloy Arends chose a different career choice, from a social point of view he was still following in his family’s footsteps. Many parties were hosted in this home.

After Dr. Eloy Arends’ passing in 1960, his son Jesus Eloy Maria Arends, dentist lived in the house, before renting it out as a restaurant, Oriental Restaurant. It also shortly functioned as a center for the political party, MEP. In 1986 he sold the house to the Aruban government because restoration would’ve been a task, way beyond his budget.

The restoration of the Eloy Arends building was the first big task that the monument bureau, the monument advisory board and the monument fund functioned as organizational framework.

Blessings,

Bryan Morris