The Tequendama Falls Museum of Biodiversity and Culture is an upcoming museum in San Antonio del Tequendama, Colombia. The museum overlooks Tequendama Falls on the Bogotá River. Before renovation, the building was an abandoned hotel, known as the Tequendama Falls Hotel (Hotel Salto del Tequendama) and was rumored to be haunted.
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Tequendama Falls Museum[/caption]In 1923, the building was constructed as a mansion by the architect Carlos Arturo Tapias, as a symbol of the joy and elegance of the elite citizens of the 20s. "The Mansion of Tequendama Falls", as the house was called, was built during the presidency of Pedro Nel Ospina (1922-1926). Its exterior features French architecture. The Tequendama Falls Hotel was reached by train from Bogota.
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Tequendama Falls Hotel[/caption]For a year starting in July 1950, the building was reconstructed into an eighteen story hotel. Gabriel Largacha was the designer and Domenico Parma was the constructor. The hotel was then abandoned in the 90s for more than two decades due to river contamination. The Institute of Natural Sciences of the National University of Colombia and the Ecological Farm Foundation of Porvenir are jointly in charge of the renovations to convert the hotel into a museum. The museum plans to include exhibitions on subterranean ecosystems.
