The Buenos Aires House of Culture is an architectural landmark in the

Montserrat Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with r ...

section of the Argentine capital.

Overview

The outmoded headquarters of what was then

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

's second-largest newspaper, '' La Prensa'', led its influential proprietor in 1894,

José Clemente Paz José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

, to purchase a 1300 m² (14,000 ft²) lot on the newly opened

Avenida de Mayo May Avenue ( es, Avenida de Mayo) is an avenue in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina. It connects the Plaza de Mayo with Congressional Plaza, and extends in a west–east direction before merging into Rivadavia Avenue. History and overview B ...

, and he commissioned local architects Carlos Agote and Alberto Gainza to design a new headquarters at the site. Agote and Gainza, both graduates of the '' École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures'', drew from their training 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 ...

to create a Beaux-Arts design, beginning with a façade inspired by

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 ...

Charles Garnier. Completed in 1898, the new ''La Prensa'' offices was inaugurated in a ceremony attended by around 20,000. The Beaux-Arts exterior is notable also for its spire, which is topped by a gilt bronze monument to

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...

represented by Pallas Athena and created by French sculptor Maurice Bouval (of Thibaut Frères). Bouval's Athena stands 50 m (164 ft) above the ground and holds an electric lamp representing Prometheus' sacred fire.Casa de la Cultura: Historia y arquitectura
The spire also contains a siren, installed in 1900 to symbolically herald news ''La Prensa'' considered singular milestones. The siren has been rung five times over the decades: on news of the assassination of Umberto I, the King of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, in 1900; on the landing of the

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, an ...

spacecraft on the moon; on the Argentine National Football Team's first

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

, in 1978; on the invasion of the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

by the last dictatorship, in 1982; and on the return of democracy with the inaugural of President

Raúl Alfonsín Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (12 March 1927 – 31 March 2009) was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after more than ...

, in 1983. Buenos_Aires_Subte_station_Peru

The building's interior was completed with mostly imported materials, including Spargne elevators from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, as well as French fixtures such as Boulanger mosaic tiles, clocks by

Paul Garnier Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

and wrought-iron work from Val d'Osne. The first floor is centered on the Golden Salon, where Paz opened the Popular Conference Institute, celebrated during the twentieth century for its weekly literary readings and lectures (notably those of

Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known bo ...

). The salon was decorated with frescoes by

Reinaldo Giudici Reinaldo Giudici (1853, Lenno – 30 August 1921, Buenos Aires) was an Italians, Italian-born Argentine painter, best known for his early Genre art, genre works in the Costumbrismo style. Biography He emigrated to Uruguay with his father ...

and

Nazareno Orlandi Nazzareno Orlandi (May 29, 1861 in Ascoli Piceno, Italy – 1952 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) was an Italian-Argentine painter. Early Years in Italy He studied design in Ascoli Piceno and then in the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, where he w ...

, both Italian-born painters. Paz also opened an extensive library in the building, which grew to over 80,000 volumes and at one time maintained several local branches, as well as one in Paris. The conservative ''La Prensa'' was expropriated by the administration of

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 ...

in 1951, by which the building became property of the CGT labor union. The bronze Minerva was removed by the CGT in 1952, allegedly on fears that it could collapse (that this was a removal of a monument representing freedom of the press has not been lost on historians). The statue was reinstalled in 1956, and while press freedom restrictions otherwise worsened following Perón's overthrow, ''La Prensa'' was restored to the Paz family. The newsdaily's decline in readership helped lead to the company sale of the landmark building in 1988, however, and it became the Ministry of Culture of Buenos Aires. Known since then as the ''Casa de la Cultura'' (House of Culture), the building was declared a National Historic Monument in 1995. A passageway built to connect it to the adjacent

Buenos Aires City Hall Buenos Aires City Hall ( es, Palacio Municipal de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires; lit. "Municipal Palace") was, until 2015, the seat of the Office of the Chief of Government of Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina. From its construction in 1914 ...

was converted into the Ana Díaz Salon, where art exhibits are hosted.

Gallery

File:Frente Casa de la Cultura Avenida de Mayo.jpg, File:Puerta Casa de la Cultura La Prensa Avenida de Mayo.jpg, File:Interior Casa de la Cultura Buenos Aires La Prensa.jpg, File:Lobby - Buenos Aires Casa de la Cultura.jpg, File:Casa de la Cultura Buenos Aires 2.jpg, File:Detalle Techo Interior Casa de la Cultura Buenos Aires La Prensa.jpg, File:Detalle piso Casa de la Cultura La Prensa Buenos Aires.jpg,

Notes

External links

Casa de la Cultura
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buenos Aires House of Culture National Historic Monuments of Argentina Buildings and structures in Buenos Aires Culture in Buenos Aires Commercial buildings completed in 1898 Tourist attractions in Buenos Aires 1898 establishments in Argentina