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T he people of Venezuela are rightfully proud of these twin 56-story buildings. The Parque Central Towers take their name from the lush green refuge in the heart of Caracas' urban jungle, but are still in the midst of a vast complex of office buildings and civilized amenities that would make most metropolitan areas jealous. At 725 feet, the towers are the tallest buildings in the country and the view from inside offers panoramic access to the city and the surrounding mountains.

In late 2004, a scene developed in Caracas that reminded people of the World Trade Center disaster in New York City. The east tower of the complex caught fire. What initially started as a small fire on the 34th floor spread to 26 stories of the building because there were not enough fire extinguishers, and inadequate pumping facilities for firefighters. Government officials said they thought the fire would stop on the 34th floor, but it managed to spread through the building's ductwork. The blaze raged for over 17 hours. At one point, firefighters and soldiers battling the blaze had to retreat and let the building burn because the flames were so hot there was fear that the tower would collapse. The neighborhood was evacuated, but only two floors actually collapsed. Eventually it was brought under control by military helicopters spraying water on the fire from above. Twenty-five firefighters had to be treated for smoke inhalation, but no civilians were hurt. The building housed government offices and the Caracas Museum of Contemporary Art, which put its most valuable pieces in a vault when the fire broke out. []

= Carlos Raul Villanueva (UCV) = []

**Carlos Antonio Villanueva**, with studies in civil engineering is never practiced, like his father Don Laureano, a Venezuelan historian and diplomat who is representing his country as consul, to the British government of their Majesties. It was held regarding the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1889, living in Europe is to always perform diplomatic posts. It is there where he met who was his wife, Paulina Astoul, French but from a family of Basque origin in Argentina and France impeached on. Don Carlos Antonio is a bourgeois, accustomed to the quiet life in Europe, and the formal treatment of the rooms of the Rue de la Paix and Piccadilly.

On May 30, was born at the Consulate of Venezuela in [|London], his fifth and last child: Carlos Raúl Villanueva Astoul. Venezuela is far away, but not enough to never find out the awards news coming about the triumph of the Andean power. The diplomat and writer not to seem neither strange nor surprising news from his country. At the end of the event is nothing unprecedented in the political history of Venezuela. Only, this time, will be theRestoration of Cipriano Castro Revolution which succeeded in establishing peace in the country and implement policies governing the foundations to the state for more than three decades, as well as the birth of Carlos Raul Villanueva will mean the advent of the maximum exponent and promoter of modern architecture in Venezuela. However, both events can not fail to startle the man of fine manners, eyeglass and Pump, Carlos Antonio is looking forward to the cable news broadcasts, it is probably an outburst that may cause other events. Meanwhile, Carlos Raul takes the first screams in your comfortable bed. Surely casually opens his eyes, whining bothered by the friction of the sheets or the time of your meal. You could say that will have all the ingredients to be a bourgeoise he. Among the complaints of Carlos Raul and the disturbing news from Venezuela restlessness, together, the sleepless nights of Carlos Antonio, making irrelevant occurrences only pass through the mind of the devoted father. Since 1942 participation data Villanueva, representing the Ministry of Public Works, in early studies, both the creation of a University City, as a new Hospital for the Central University of Venezuela (UCV).Already in 1944, Villanueva has, now as the only architect in charge of the Autonomous Institute of the Ciudad Universitaria (ICU), the first overall composition of what will be his masterpiece and foremost concern of more than 20 years of dedication: University City Caracas, that although in its general outline responds to a formal composition, the volumes of the buildings are articulated with a modern language. For the same date, entered as a professor in the Department of Architecture, affiliated to the School of Civil Engineering, Central University of Venezuela where developing a broad and extensive academic work towards promotion of architecture as a professional specialty in the country. That is also why, on July 4 next year, meeting with architects Rafael Bergamin, Heriberto Gonzalez Mendez, Henrique Garcia Maldonado, Luis Eduardo Chataing, Cipriano Domínguez and Roberto Villanueva Henriquez founded the [|Venezuelan Society of Architects] and was named its first President. While modern fully exercise Villanueva was favored by the economic boom in Venezuela at that time, together with the commitment of the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez (1948-1958) to achieve their New National Ideal, primarily through monumental public works, would be unfair not to mention the fact of working "indirectly" to autocracy brought the architect several [|obstacles] , from boycotts, sabotage and threats during the construction of the Ciudad Universitaria, until his typecasting as "architect of the regime," even after the overthrow of it.