The Dénia City Council has received the donation of an interesting collection of documents, prints and photographs from the personal archive of the Xara architect Josep Ivars Pérez and also from that of his in-laws, the Vinaroz family, from Dénia.
The donation includes various materials, including those related to urban studies and architectural heritage, of which Josep Ivars is a great researcher and pioneer in defense.
It is an important collection of about 6.000 images of buildings, architectural details and activities related to historical architecture, most of which are Marina Alta.
We found a set of 119 files with photographs of the architectural heritage of the Marina Alta, dated 1982, made by Josep Ivars with the College of Architects of Alicante. Other graphic materials also stand out, such as the 445 black and white and color photographs of buildings and architectural elements of the Marina Alta and La Safor taken between 1980 and 1999, as well as images of building restorations, such as the old schools of Pedreguer, between 1992 and 1995.
In the opinion of the municipal archivist, Rosa Seser, the 4.281 slides, made between 1982 and 2011, which document different architectural elements such as castles, Moorish deserts, streams and others, in the Marina Alta and even in other Valencian towns, require special mention. A material that from the municipal archive, with the disinterested help of the photographer Eduardo Sánchez, is being digitized.
This important section of the Josep Ivars donation is completed with documents, plans and publications by Josep Ivars in his work as an architect and researcher.
Other materials are related to Dénia and the Xara, with photographs of characters, such as the tenor Cortis, or the interesting collection of documents, dated between 1908 and 1940, on the gas supply in the city of Dénia with accounting documents, advertising forms and , even, the metal tokens that were used in the gas meter.
It also highlights the collection of historical forms and brochures from the period 1913-1960. More than 400 copies, among which those dedicated to recreational activities stand out, especially from Dénia, where we find references to bars, cupletistas, dance halls, Valencian pilota or bullfights.
The donation is completed by an important collection of historical magazines, from the Vinaroz family, including the 360 copies of the Mundo Gráfico magazine, from 1925 to 1937, which offer magnificent articles and images from the period of the Republic and the Civil War.
Also relevant is the section of materials from the period of the Transition to Democracy: brochures, electoral materials and the magazine Valencia Semanal, published between 1977 and 1980.
As a whole, Josep Ivars gives to the city of Dénia, destined for the Municipal Archive, a crucial contribution to the documentary heritage of the city, already cataloged and practically available to researchers.
