50-534: Unzué Palace (Spanish: El palacio Unzué ), also known as Quinta Unzué , was the presidential residence of the Argentine Republic located in Buenos Aires during the presidency of Juan Domingo Perón (1946–1955), and became a place of pilgrimage and cult after the death of Eva Perón in 1952. The building's symbolic importance was such that, after the military coup that led to Perón's downfall in 1955,
100-533: A boulevard connecting the Retiro section (north of downtown) to the growing neighborhoods of Recoleta and Palermo to the northeast (at the time merely suburbs). Bella Vista Street was widened and lengthened, reaching 7 km (4.3 mi) northwest into Palermo and, upon its inaugural in 1885, was renamed in honor the Mayor's father, Carlos María de Alvear (one of Argentina's early leaders ). Soon becoming among
150-502: A carillon with 30 bells. Problems with contractual interpretation were arbitrated by the engineer Sebastian Ghigliazza. The palace was inaugurated on October 3, 1931. The building has been home to other government agencies. Juan Perón , who established the Secretariat of Labor and Social Insurance, set aside a wing in the building for the purpose. Perón had the building declared a National Historic Monument in 1951. Constructed in
200-601: A collection of 30,000 texts on law and legislation. There are texts from Visigothic Spain , from the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata , and the colonial Buenos Aires Cabildo , and others. It includes the José Hernández Periodicals Library whose works have been microfilmed . Initially created to assist legislators and municipal officials, it was later opened to the general public. The library
250-403: A columned entrance gallery guarding the main entrance and lower floor, accessed through a marble staircase. In 1942, the ramp was demolished and replaced with a pine and cedarwood staircase, reflecting the original style of the building. Two rooms were joined to create a library, whose walls were lined with light walnut wood panelling and shelving, and a included a veined marble fireplace. A wall
300-514: A desk, chair, lamp, folders, ink and letter rack. Its walls are paneled in wood. There are also two Louis XIV cabinets by cabinetmaker Tarris, the municipal arms engraved on the doors. Two vases stand there, one in Baccarat crystal , the other bronze. The clock tower is 97 metres (318 ft) high. It houses a clock with five bells named Santa Maria, Pinta, La Niña, La Porteña and, the largest, at 1,800 kg, Argentina. The tower's four quadrants have
350-545: A diameter measuring 4.5 metres (15 ft). The clock has a system that controls the running of 80 other clocks distributed in the rest of the building. The German-made carillon, made of bronze, has 30 bells that together weigh over 27 tons; most are more than 4 tons. Its architect was Hector Ayerza. It is situated on a semicircular pergola , surrounded by gargoyles and the silver pipes of a powerful air conditioner. The bells are suspended in an iron frame 11 metres (36 ft) in height and weigh 8 tons. When installed in 1930, it
400-500: A lake and a planned aviary. It also provided curved pathways, fountains, palm trees and iron lampposts. Situated on higher ground above a steep bank or barranca , entry to the residence from the street was through the gardens. Today, the only remaining parts of the building are the Instituto Nacional Juan Domingo Perón (Juan Domingo Perón National Institute), formerly the butlers quarters, and
450-413: A large window. Architecturally, the building is perhaps best known for its 26 cornice caryatids (most by sculptor Troiano Troiani), the clock tower , and carillon (a musical instrument that is typically housed in the bell tower) of 30 bells. Aside from the legislative chambers themselves, the building's interior features a number of architecturally noteworthy salons and halls, as well as two libraries;
500-517: A two-level model of the palace, created by the artist Daniel Santoro. Some of the statues from the palace gardens were relocated to Lezama Park in the San Telmo district of Buenos Aires. Avenida del Libertador (Buenos Aires) Avenida del Libertador is one of the principal thoroughfares in Buenos Aires , Argentina, and in points north, extending 25 km (16 mi) from
550-524: Is documented from the end of the Juan Manuel de Rosas government (1835-1852), when three Englishmen purchased land for the construction of a summer home. The politician Manuel de Arrotea and his wife, Josefa Vivot, lived in the property for a time. In 1855 the land passed to Mariano Saavedra, son of Cornelio Saavedra , the president of the Primera Junta . He then constructed his own residence on
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#1732776501788600-531: Is reached by climbing the Stairway of Honor. Columns with Ionic capitals surround the central area, supporting an arched gallery which serves as a balcony over the central area. At its base there is a shield of honor with the arms of the city. The hall is lit by six chandeliers, each with 45 lights, as well as 14 candelabras. The room is used for public hearings, receptions and events. After women obtained voting rights in 1947 and female politicians began to enter
650-596: Is situated opposite the main entrance to Avenida Julio A. Roca. It splits into two sections before reaching the main floor rotunda. Above it, a stained glass dome representing the sun can be opened manually or electronically to view the open sky. Previously known as the Centennial Library, the Esteban Echeverría library was designed in 1884 by the then Council president, Dr. Roberto Larroque, who ordered library materials from abroad. It also houses
700-654: Is surrounded by some of the most valuable residential real estate in Buenos Aires. A tunnel opened in 1971 takes the avenue past the Municipal Golf Course and into the Belgrano district. In Núñez , it passes by the infamous Navy Mechanics School , which housed the most important of the 340 detention centers operated by Argentina's last dictatorship in the late 1970s. The ESMA is today the National Museum of Remembrance. An underpass then leads into
750-473: The Casa Rosada . The ground floor was not heavily used. Perón and Evita moved into the first floor, where they had their main and guest bedrooms, dressing rooms, a library, an office, a small dining room, and servants' quarters. A marble «Y» shaped staircase led to upstairs wings to the left and right of the building, which looked out onto a balcony from where you could observe the entire ground floor. A lift
800-512: The Chamber of Deputies approved the expropriation of the Unzué estate, a measure opposed by Deputy Enrique Dickman , who considered it a method of economic salvation for families in crisis. The Argentine state therefore purchased Unzué Palace in 1937 to pay off debts, and expropriated the building and its parkland of some 21,154.0345 m, converting them into the presidential residence. In 1938,
850-620: The Mitre rail line and east of Alvear Avenue, giving Palermo commuters easy access to the station and freeing Alvear of its heavy traffic. Opened in 1906, Avenida Viceroy Vértiz was renamed Avenida del Libertador in 1950 in honor of the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Perú, General José de San Martín , by order of President Juan Perón and to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of San Martín's passing. A 15 km (9.3 mi) thoroughfare (Route 195) connecting Buenos Aires to San Fernando
900-659: The Neoclassical style, the building has a basement, three storeys and a penthouse. It incorporates an older residence that faced the Plaza de Mayo but now fronts the Avenida Julio A. Roca. The main door, located at the corner of Julio A. Roca Avenue and Peru St., is of carved wood with a central brass knocker shaped as a lion's head. The front of the building has Corinthian style colonnades and balconies with balustrades. The former Municipal shield, made of bronze, adorns
950-523: The Paraná Delta city of Tigre , where it ends past a bridge over one of the area's numerous canals. 34°34′55″S 58°24′06″W / 34.58194°S 58.40167°W / -34.58194; -58.40167 Buenos Aires City Legislature Palace The Buenos Aires Legislature Palace ( Spanish : Palacio de la Legislatura de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires ) houses the Legislature of
1000-813: The Recoleta Cultural Center before a fork leads to Figueroa Alcorta Avenue , a parallel thoroughfare opened in 1910. The National Museum of Fine Arts is located at this junction. Its Palermo district stretch takes the avenue past the Argentine Automobile Club , the National Museum of Decorative Arts , the Buenos Aires Japanese Gardens , Tres de Febrero Park , and the Palermo Hippodrome . Its route along both these neighborhoods
1050-541: The Retiro District of Buenos Aires (where it continues as Avenida Leandro N. Alem ) to the northern suburb of San Fernando . Inspired by Parisian urbanist Baron Haussmann 's renowned modernization of the City of Lights, Mayor Torcuato de Alvear took office with a similar mandate in 1880. Inheriting a rapidly growing city hamstrung by a typically colonial grid of narrow streets, his most ambitious project would be
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#17327765017881100-501: The " Eva Perón Hall"), and a carillon which, when it was installed in 1930, was the largest in South America. A lot southwest of the Plaza de Mayo was set aside for the building's construction. The building's design was awarded through a competition to local architect Héctor Ayerza. Approved and budgeted by the council in 1926, Ayerza's eclectic design drew heavily from French Neoclassical architecture . The foundation stone
1150-664: The "comprehensive protection level" since 2000. The salon is a study which she used as head of the Eva Perón Foundation. A number of scenes for Alan Parker 's 1996 film, Evita , were filmed here and in the legislative chambers. It is located between the offices of the President and the Vice President of the First Legislature. It houses some of the original furniture and personal objects such as
1200-519: The City of Buenos Aires , Argentina . It is an architectural landmark in the city's Montserrat district, situated in a triangular block bounded by the streets Hipólito Yrigoyen Street, Presidente Julio A. Roca Avenue and Perú Street. Built of grey granite, it has a Neoclassical design. The building is open to the public on week-days only. The building contains the Esteban Echeverría Library, Salón Rosado (also known as
1250-522: The Exhibition of Health & Hygiene, which showcased several technical advances of the time including the flushing toilet, new sewer systems, and medical instruments. The Great Depression of 1930 affected the Argentine agricultural export model significantly, and those families who had benefited now lost both income and power, which led to many being forced to sell their residences. In January 1937,
1300-677: The Unzués, and as such Mariano was able to build the Unzué Palace as a great rest residence for his family, alternating between his main home in Calle Florida . Signed plans from the early 1900s confirm that the family hired the architects Martín Vismara and A. Gonsalez to manage building renovation work. In 1910, during the Centennial International Exposition , Unzué was used as the main site for
1350-474: The aforementioned property exceed the sum of one million seven hundred thousand pesos in national currency, an investment that would not be proportional to the intrinsic value of the building; while it is true that in previous times it has served as the Presidential Residence, it is no longer possible to carry out new renovations or adapt it from a functional and architectural standpoint to meet
1400-594: The avenue of the same name north of Buenos Aires, Libertador's entry into the suburb of Vicente López via a roundabout was replaced by a freeway underpass and its boulevard medians, removed. Severe rush hour traffic congestion along the avenue was alleviated by the 1996 opening of the Arturo Illia Freeway, running parallel to the avenue and providing a ( toll road ) alternative to the busy junction at Libertador and Avenida 9 de Julio . Avenida Leandro Alem at its northern end becomes Libertador Avenue at
1450-475: The building acquired a mythical status while Perón continued to live there. He remained in Unzué until his overthrow in 1955 by the Revolución Libertadora , when the property was set alight under suspicious circumstances. On 16 September 1955, during aerial bombing , an explosive device landed near Unzué, but it fell in the palace gardens and failed to destroy the property. In the days following
1500-502: The building overlooked the current Avenida del Libertador and bordered Calle Agüero , where the ancillary functions were located. As in other high similar society residences of the time, it was built from high quality materials, including French metalwork, Italian marble, oak floors, drinking water through the use of sand filters and modern electrics. The building's façade included a slated mansard roof, popular in French architecture, and
1550-436: The building's gardens on the corner of Avenida del Libertador and Austria. The Unzué Palace was characteristic of aristocratic family residences in Buenos Aires at the end of the nineteenth century. Built in the 1880s, it was an example of the French academic style, which was popular within high society at the time. Occupying a significant site above a steep bank or barranca , with elevated gardens that descended northward,
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1600-485: The coup d'état, it was set alight and looted by military figures close to the uprising. In 1956, General Pedro Eugenio Aramburu took control of Argentina, a dictator and enemy of Perón. He decided that Unzué should be completely demolished in 1958, supported by Decree Law 4161, which prohibited Peronist symbolism and any allusions to Perón and his second wife. Decree 14.576,signed by Aramburu, stated that: ...The operating costs and necessary repairs to be carried out on
1650-508: The dictators who subsequently took power ordered its complete demolition, to erase all traces of its former occupants. The residence occupied a large plot of almost three blocks with tree-lined gardens. It was located between Avenida del Libertador , Austria, Agüero , and Avenida Las Heras. Following its destruction, the current the National Library of Argentina was constructed between 1962 and 1992. The history of Unzué Palace
1700-448: The first to do so being Edelmiro Farrell , who occasionally resided there on weekends away from the main presidential palace located in downtown Buenos Aires. The first president to use the building regularly was Juan Domingo Perón , elected in 1946, who made it his permanent residence. In doing so he moved further away from the capital's centre to the more residential neighbourhood of Recoleta, which also gave him easy and quick access to
1750-496: The government's legislative system, First Lady Eva Perón established the palace's Salon Rosado ("pink room"; now known as the Salon Eva Perón) as a reserved area for government women to discuss issues in a place from which men were excluded. The room is now open to visitors. It is decorated with a memorial bust of Eva Perón and includes original fixtures. The edifice was declared a Historic Protection Area in 1977 and at
1800-751: The headquarters of the Coro Polifónico Nacional de Ciegos (National Polyphonic Choir for the Blind), previously the third Transitional Home of the Eva Perón Foundation , both located on Calle Austria. Additionally, the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urbanism (FADU) houses fragments of the original Unzué Palacio. The National Library houses a structure called the Memory Lookout , an octagonal glass building that houses
1850-429: The library was decided through a contest in 1962, ultimately won by Clorindo Testa , Francisco Bullrich, and Alicia Cazzaniga . Work progressed slowly, and the building was finally opened to the public by Carlos Menem in 1992. In the library's lobby, several bronze plaques recognize both Eva Perón and the demolition of Unzué Palace, as an attempt to erase a part of Argentina's history. A statue of Evita's image stands in
1900-544: The minimum characteristics that a property intended for the accommodation of the President of the Republic must offer.... Aramburu was the first ruling Argentine leader to use the Quinta de Olivos as a presidential residence, which it continues to be to the present day. With the return to democracy under Arturo Frondizi , he drove the construction of the National Library of Argentina on the site of Unzué. The project to design
1950-453: The most coveted addresses in Buenos Aires, Avenida Alvear was graced by numerous mansions (a few of which survive), though it quickly also became among the most transited in the fast-growing Buenos Aires of the late 19th century. Planned with a future railway terminal in Retiro in mind, Mayor Adolfo Bullrich had a multilane boulevard developed between Retiro and Palermo, roughly parallel to
2000-555: The northern suburb of Vicente López , beginning the avenue's 15 km (9 mi) stretch in Buenos Aires Province . The scenery of high rises and shopping areas there and in neighboring Olivos gradually blends into leafy San Isidro , passing by the Neogothic Cathedral of San Isidro. A detour via Primera Junta Avenue continues the interrupted thoroughfare into San Fernando until its city limit with
2050-444: The president Roberto Marcelino Ortiz decided to found a Garden of Childhood (Jardín de Infancia), moving the school faculty to the site. The building underwent remodeling until 1942, including adaptations for its function as a Garden of Childhood. However, by December 1942, under the presidency of Ramón Castillo , plans were drawn up to revert its use to that of presidential residence. It wasn't used extensively by presidents however,
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2100-452: The residence were adapted into barracks for the troops and a presidential garage. The garden design has been variously attributed to both Carlos Thays and Rubén Darío , although neither name has ever been proved. It occupied 21.154 m², and was surrounded by Avenida Libertador and calles Austria y Agüero. It contained a wide variety of plant species, including magnolia, cedar, araucaria, palm, chestnut, orange and fig trees, in addition to
2150-576: The site, where he held many meetings as Governor of Buenos Aires Province . At this time, the Recoleta neighbourhood was a marginal and semi-rural corner of Buenos Aires, which still only extended to the current Avenida Callao . As such, Saavedra's property was difficult to reach. Between 1883 and 1887, the house was acquired by Mariano Unzué and his wife Mercedes Baudrix. This was a time of significant growth in Buenos Aires and brought unprecedented gains for traditional agricultural producing families like
2200-536: The southeast corner of San Martín Plaza . Continuing northwards along the Retiro district, it passes by the important Retiro railway terminal and in parallel to the Mitre rail line . Past the Railway Museum, it travels under the Illia Freeway overpass and through the intersection with the massive Ninth of July Avenue. Entering the Recoleta district, the avenue affords a view of Alvear Plaza and
2250-1077: The spacious halls are named the Golden Hall, the San Martin Hall, the Montevideo Hall, the Lost Steps Hall, the Eva Perón Lounge, the Dining Room of Honor, the Aldermen Hall and the Exhibition Hall. The Esteban Echeverría Library houses a unique collection of 2,000 books from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. The other library, known as the Hemeroteca José Hernández, has numerous newspaper archives from 1870 covering topics of history, culture and general news. A staircase
2300-574: Was also located on the other side of the property, between the library and the golden hall. Once her cancer prevented her from travelling to offices in the Legislature Palace where her foundation was based, Eva Perón worked from the Palace, and granted interviews. She ultimately passed away there on 26 July 1952. During her convalescence, many of her supporters gathered at the palace gates, leaving images, candles, and letters. After her death,
2350-426: Was built in the late 1930s and was likewise renamed in 1950. The subsequent automobile boom and the growth of northside neighborhoods and suburbs led Mayor Manuel Iricíbar in 1968 to order the extension of the avenue northwards into the Belgrano and Núñez neighborhoods. The extension was facilitated by a tunnel and by the widening of Blandengues Street, which became part of Avenida del Libertador. Thus connected to
2400-604: Was built to separate the salon, adorned with two alcoves, a chandelier, crystal wall lights, and Louis XV French furnishings. As the Unzué Quinta was the official residence of the President of the Nation, it required facilities to house the Granaderos Regiment , responsible for the President's security, and garages for the vehicles that transported him. For this purpose, the old service quarters located behind
2450-464: Was laid under the First Congress of Municipalities of the Republic of Argentina, on November 18, 1926, by Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear . A commemorative plaque was affixed on the occasion. Louis Falcone was awarded the contract with a completion time of 5 years, and the work started on September 19, 1927; the contract included works of luxury fittings, lighting, a clock tower with five bells and
2500-509: Was renamed to honor the Argentine poet Esteban Echeverria who introduced literary romanticism to the city. The library is designed in an eclectic style with Neoclassical elements. It is clad in walnut; above the wrought iron fireplace is the city shield. The Golden Hall, reserved for ceremonies and other formal events, was inspired by the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles , France . It
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