Buenos Aires City Legislature Palace
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The Buenos Aires Legislature Palace ( es, Palacio de la Legislatura de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires) houses the Legislature of the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is an architectural landmark in the city's
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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 the " Eva Perón Hall"), and a
carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...
which, when it was installed in 1930, was the largest in South America.


History

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 was laid under the First Congress of Municipalities of the Republic of Argentina, on November 18, 1926, by
Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear Máximo Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear Pacheco (4 October 1868 – 23 March 1942), was an Argentine lawyer and politician, who served as president of Argentina between from 1922 to 1928. His period of government coincided precisely with the en ...
. 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 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 Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine Army general and politician. After serving in several government positions, including Minister of Labour and Vice President of a military dictatorship, he was elected P ...
, 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 National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...
in 1951.


Architecture

Constructed in 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 a large window. Architecturally, the building is perhaps best known for its 26 cornice caryatids (most by sculptor Troiano Troiani), the
clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...
, and
carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...
(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; 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 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.


Library

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 a collection of 30,000 texts on law and legislation. There are texts from
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, from the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, and the colonial
Buenos Aires Cabildo The Cabildo of Buenos Aires ( es, Cabildo de Buenos Aires) is the public building in Buenos Aires that was used as seat of the town council during the colonial era and the government house of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. Today the bu ...
, and others. It includes the
José Hernández José Hernández may refer to: Arts and entertainment * José Hernández (writer) (1834–1886), Argentine writer * Pepe Hern (José Hernández Bethencourth, 1927–2009), American actor * José Hernández, American singer (born 1940), better known ...
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 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.


Halls

The Golden Hall, reserved for ceremonies and other formal events, was inspired by the Hall of Mirrors in the
Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...
, France. It 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 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 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 Evita may refer to: Arts * Evita (1996 film), ''Evita'' (1996 film), a 1996 American musical drama film based on the 1976 concept album of the same name * Evita (2008 film), ''Evita'' (2008 film), a documentary about Eva Péron * Evita (album), ''E ...
'', 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 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.


Tower and carillon

The clock tower is 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 a diameter measuring . 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 A pergola is most commonly an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained. The ...
, surrounded by gargoyles and the silver pipes of a powerful air conditioner. The bells are suspended in an iron frame in height and weigh 8 tons. When installed in 1930, it was the largest
carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...
in South America.


See also

*
Buenos Aires City Legislature The Buenos Aires City Legislature ( es, Legislatura de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, links=no, commonly known as the ) is a central part of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is housed in the Legislature Palace ( es ...


References


External links


Website of the Buenos Aires City Legislature
(in Spanish) {{Authority control Government buildings completed in 1931 Buildings and structures in Buenos Aires National Historic Monuments of Argentina Government buildings in Argentina Libraries in Argentina