FRANCISCO MIRA I BOTELLA.
Francisco Mira Botella was born on the 15th October, 1863 in Aspe (Alicante). Following his family’s influence he attended the Madrid Forestry Engineers College at El Escorial (Madrid). He was awarded his degree in the 1886/87 promotion. Two projects stand out from his long professional career: The reforestation of the Guardamar and Elche Dunes and the reforestation of Benacantil (Alicante).
His efficient work was praised by his superiors, and after several promotions he was appointed Forest General Inspector in 1925. He retired in 1929 after 42 years of service.
For his excellent work in Guardamar, he was named adoptive son of the town.
His reforestation plan was acknowledged by the visit of King Alfonso XIII in 1923. Mira also stood out for the use he made of photography, both as a scientific work tool and as a social document.
FOREST HOUSE HISTORY AND EVOLUTION
We are in the centre of the Guardamar dunes reforestation project. This house was built in 1906, based on local architectural models, but with neoclassical features on the façade and modernist features in some carpentry and the main staircase.
Engineer Mira made his design from an existing building that followed the floor plan of the houses built according to Larramendi criteria.
Engineer Mira made his design from an existing building that followed the floor plan of the houses built according to Larramendi criteria.
The house is divided into two different spaces. In one, the chief engineer in charge of designing the guidelines resided, and it consisted of two bedrooms, a hall, an office, a dining room, a kitchen and a pantry on the ground floor. There were also two rooms on the first floor and a turret that served as a meteorological station.
The other part of the house was occupied by the forest rangers that coordinated and monitored the plantations. This was made up of several rooms, a large interior patio, cistern, corral, stable and a large storage room on the upper floor.
In the last restoration, a part of the original structure of the building was recovered by removing the remodeling job done throughout the 20th century. In the house is exhibited the material that was left in when the reforestation task ended, the objects of the forest guards and also belongings that recovered from engineer Mira’s house in Hondón de las Nieves (Middle Vinalopo).
Room 1
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