The Former Embassy of Argentina in Chile is a building located at 41

Vicuña Mackenna Avenue Avenida Vicuña Mackenna (Vicuña Mackenna Avenue) is one of the main transport arteries of Santiago, Chile, joining Santiago center with more remote urban centers such as the communes of La Florida and Puente Alto. Vicuña Mackenna Avenue begin ...

, near the

Plaza Baquedano Plaza Baquedano, commonly known as Plaza Italia, is a major landmark in Santiago, Chile. The plaza was inaugurated in 1928, being crowned by a monument made by Chilean sculptor Virgínio Arias and featuring General Manuel Baquedano, giving the ...

, in downtown

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, housing the General Consulate of Argentina in Santiago. It was declared as a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

of Chile on July 24, 2003, within the category of Historic Monuments.

History

On May 25, 1912, following a series of disagreements between Chile and

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 ...

, which concluded peacefully with the Abrazo del Estrecho (1899) and the

Pactos de Mayo The Pacts of May ( es, Pactos de Mayo) are four protocols signed in Santiago de Chile by Chile and Argentina on 28 May 1902 in order to extend their relations and resolve its territorial disputes. The disputes had led both countries to increase th ...

(1902), the Chilean government granted a plot of land to Argentina as an act of reciprocity. It is located on Avenida Vicuña Mackenna, known then as ''Camino de Cintura''. Reciprocally, on September 18 of that year, Argentina granted to Chile a palace on Esmeralda Street in

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 ...

. The location of the property was at what was then the edge of the city, and the property was close to the old Hospital de San Borja and the former Pirque railway station. The site was the location of a chalet owned by the Nieto family and the headquarters for a

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

club, which served as the residence of the Ambassador and chancery of Argentina until July 7, 1943, when a fire destroyed the buildings. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of the city offered the

Palacio Cousiño The Palacio Cousiño is a palace that was designed and built for Isidora Goyenechea, widow of Luis Cousiño, who in turn was son of Matías Cousiño. It is located at 438 Dieciocho Street in Santiago, Chile. The palace was designed by architect ...

or the Club Militar to house the Argentine diplomatic delegation, but they preferred to be temporarily accommodated in the Hotel Carrera. The government of Chile, through the Ministry of Public Works, undertook the rebuilding of the diplomatic facility, hosting an open

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...

whose winning design was submitted by

architects An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Alfredo Johnson and Carlos Feuersein. The building was inaugurated on May 25, 1959.

Description

Located at the center of the lot, the three-story building was built in the Neoclassical style influenced by the

Beaux-Arts de Paris The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Sciences ...

. The property features a backyard with a

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...

. The French-style building has a large room with five entrance doors. Its western facade is notable for its large windows, and there is a terrace adjacent to the dining room.

References

{{coord, -33.43940, -70.63516, format=dms, type:landmark_region:CL, display=title Neoclassical architecture in Chile Argentina–Chile relations Diplomatic missions of Argentina Buildings and structures in Santiago