Estivella buys historic Hort de la Senyoreta estate for €475,000
The town council of Estivella, a municipality in the Camp de Morvedre district near Sagunto, has bought the historic Hort de la Senyoreta building and surrounding land for €475,000 to turn it into public heritage.
The building, listed as a Bien de Relevancia Local (BRL — a regional heritage protection category), dates from the 19th century, when silk businessman Vicente Martínez Català built it after buying the old manorial lands. In the early 20th century it passed to the Ballester family, and Rosario Ballester's nickname -"la Senyoreta"- gave the estate its name. Mayor Francesc Mateu said the council will now draft a restoration project, while the surrounding land will be used to open new streets, improve links between neighbourhoods, and build a car park in the historic centre. Part of the land will also be reserved for subsidised housing (VPO). The BRL listing, regulated by regional heritage law, is the second-highest local protection level in the Valencian Community, below Bien de Interés Cultural. The €475,000 price is a significant expense for a town of only about 1,710 residents. According to El Periódico de Aquí, with additional background from Wikipedia.