WATCH ⟩ Corner house hopes to sell within two years; the possibility of finding an investor has not been explored

Agnes LoginaMinister of Culture (“Progressivie”): “I remember that I met Mrs. Solvitas Vības for the first time, I think, in October or November; we have met several times after that time as well, all the while getting to know this situation more and more thoroughly. It is clear that the choice was between these two options, but one comes with a very high bill, the other is more pragmatic. Since my task is to ensure that the museum works, I chose to advance this option”.

All coalition partners confirmed that at that moment there was no specific plan yet. There have been several scenarios. Expropriation seemed potentially more real. At the cooperation table, no one has decided how realistic it is to sell the building. In the coalition negotiations, the call not to support the bill came directly from the “Progressives”.

Andris Shuvajevsmember of the Saeima, chairman of the faction (“Progressives”)

“First of all, we assess whether the bill itself is of high quality, whether there is an urgent political need and whether work is currently underway in the coalition in one of the ministries on the existing problem. Taking into account that at this point the work had already started, it seemed logical not to hand it over further to the Saeima commissions and it was not a specific setting of the “Progressives”.

Finance Minister Arvils Asheradens, when he was a member of the Saeima, himself suggested adopting a special law on the Corner House. A year later, when such a bill came to the Saeima, two deputies – Edmunds Jurēvics and Jānis Reirs – did not vote, while the others from the “Jaunās Vienotības” faction abstained.

Edmunds Jurēvicsmember of the Saeima, chairman of the faction (“Jaunā Vienotība”): “We also came to the conclusion in our own party that the version proposed by the Ministry of Culture is one that preserves this historical aspect, but also does not impose a huge burden on the state budget. Because let’s be honest, at the moment, the state budget does not have tens of millions to be able to completely restore this one building. We know that there are many other things in the cultural sector that would also need to be invested in. Because I think, a compromise was found at the moment”.

According to the latest estimates, at least 25 million euros are needed for capital repairs of the corner house. “State real estate” refused to reveal what the starting price of the auction could be. Currently, restoration works have already started. The evaluation is planned to be carried out only after the completion of the works. The company is confident that the building could be sold within a year or two.

Andris Varnamember of the board of “Valssts nekusmatie ospasumi”: “We said what the previous price was, for the given moment it would definitely be lower than before, because the market situation has changed, taking into account all the events – both macroeconomic and local. Yes, we said , how roughly that price could be, but again, this is speculation, in the sense that we named an approximate price, but surely the market will show what it is in reality”.

Agnes LoginaMinister of Culture (“Progressivie”): “Of course, we have also talked about it with various real estate people and specialists. This is what the State Real Estate says, the building itself is in the city center, it is a very large building, which makes it attractive to various investors. Of course, they are looking at Scandinavians or Estonians, or outside Latvia. And what convinces me the most that there would be interest is that an investor was already found”.

The minister does not see a problem that the building could be bought by a foreigner who might not be interested in the museum and the preservation of Latvia’s history. The Ministry of Culture will also participate in the process and will see to it that the museum is preserved.

Solvita Wiebdirector of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia: “We are hopeful that we will create a new exhibition. We are very optimistic. That’s how it is here in the museum family. I really hope that our optimism will not be destroyed”.

The Ministry of Culture is also thinking about possible amendments to the law to change the legal norm on the lease term. Is a separate law that would determine the status of the museum in the building not an easier way – the minister did not have an answer.