Voces del Prado

1996-1998: Refurbishment of the Roof Whilst the Museum Remained Open

Fernando Checa Cremades, Museum Director, 1996-2001

The roof refurbishment works were truly essential, because they put an end to the problem of leaks at the Museo del Prado, one that had been wildly exaggerated in the press. The refurbishment project was due, above all, to the impetus provided by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the time, José Antonio Fernández Ordóñez, who, after a series of incidents, raised the question of leaks and rats at the Museo del Prado in Parliament. He may have exaggerated a little, but at least he drew attention to the situation, which had become quite unsustainable. The works were carried out between 1996 and 1998 or 1999, without closing the Museum. Those were heroic years, since every week we produced a leaflet for the general public, informing them about which halls were open and which ones were closed.