The Bosch Palace is an architecturally significant residence in the

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

section of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, Argentina.

Overview

The French Neoclassical mansion was commissioned by Elisa and

Ernesto Bosch Ernesto Bosch (January 8, 1863 — August 22, 1951) was a prominent Argentine landowner, lawyer, and diplomat who served as the first President of the Central Bank of Argentina. Life and times Early life and career Ernesto Mauricio Bosch Peña w ...

in 1910. Bosch had returned to Argentina following a tenure of six years as Argentine Ambassador to France, and the couple, both born to wealthy landowners, wished to evoke their years in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. They commissioned

French architect The following is a chronological list of French architects. Some of their major architectural works are listed after each name. Middle Ages Étienne de Bonneuil (late 13th century) * Uppsala Cathedral, Sweden Jean de Chelles (13th century ...

René Sergent René Sergent (; July 4, 1865 - August 22, 1927) was a noted French architect. Biography Born in Clichy, Sergent was trained at the École spéciale d'architecture, where he concentrated on French architecture of the 18th century but also studie ...

to design a mansion in what was then near the northern end of Alvear Avenue, and, following his resignation as

Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

in 1914, he devoted more time to the project with his wife, contracting the Parisian

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordina ...

er André Carlhian, and landscape designers

Achille Duchêne Achille Duchêne (1866 — 1947) was a French garden designer who worked in the grand manner established by André Le Nôtre. The son of the landscaper Henri Duchêne, Achille Duchêne was the garden designer most in demand among high French societ ...

and

Charles Thays Carlos Thays (August 20, 1849 – January 31, 1934)Biog ...

.''Clarín'': El besamanos del Día de la Independencia en el Palacio Bosch
U.S. State Department: The Secretary of State's Register of Culturally Significant Property
/ref> Completed in 1917, the Bosch Palace became of interest to U.S. Ambassador

Robert Woods Bliss Robert Woods Bliss (August 5, 1875 – April 19, 1962) was an American diplomat, art collector, philanthropist, and one of the co-founders of the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection in Washington, D.C. Early life Bliss was born in St. ...

during a reception there in his honor. History has it that the ambassador offered Bosch to buy the mansion and Bosch, not interested to sell it, gave a ridiculously high price. A few days later, the ambassador returned with a positive answer from his government and Bosch felt obliged to accept. In 1929, the building was sold by the Bosch family to the

U.S. State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

for use as the

Embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

and residence of the

United States Ambassador to Argentina The United States ambassador to Argentina is the official representative of the president of the United States to the head of state of Argentina. Argentina had declared its independence from Spain in 1816 and there followed a series of revolution ...

for around US$3 million. The mansion, situated on what today is Avenida del Libertador and overlooking

Parque Tres de Febrero Parque Tres de Febrero, popularly known as Bosques de Palermo (Palermo Woods), is an urban park of approximately 400 hectares (about 989 acres) located in the neighborhood of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Located between Libertador and Fi ...

, became of sole use as the ambassadorial residence after the 1969 completion of the present U.S. Embassy, an architecturally spare building located within walking distance of the Bosch Palace.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bosch Palace Palaces in Buenos Aires Ambassadorial residences Houses completed in 1917 Neoclassical architecture in Argentina Neoclassical palaces Diplomatic missions in Buenos Aires 1917 establishments in Argentina Register of Culturally Significant Property Argentina–United States relations