Julio Dormal Godet (1846–1924) was a Belgian architect who, after studying 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 ...

, arrived in

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 ...

in 1868 where he became one of the first exponents of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture. He built the Palermo Race Course and designed the layout of

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 ...

, a park in the neighbourhood of

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 ...

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 ...

, completed in 1876. Construction of the

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

building, designed by the Italian architect

Vittorio Meano Vittorio Meano (1860, Susa, Piedmont1904) was an Italian architect born in Susa, Italy, near Turin. Background and early career He studied architecture in Albertina Academy in Turin. In 1884 he arrived in Argentina to work in the studio of th ...

, began in 1898. After Meano's murder in 1904, Dormal took the project through to its completion in 1906, respecting Meano's original designs. In the city of

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...

, Dormal was involved with the building of the Government House, and in Buenos Aires with the final details of the

Teatro Colón The Teatro Colón (Spanish: ''Columbus Theatre'') is the main opera house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is considered one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic. According to a survey carried out by the acousti ...

and with the remodeling of the old

Teatro Opera The Teatro Opera (''Opera Theatre'') is a prominent cinema and theatre house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Introduction The Teatro Opera (officially called Opera Orbis Seguros for commercial advertising reasons), is located at 860 Avenida Corriente ...

. Dormal took over the building of the

Pereda Palace The Pereda Palace is an old manor located in front of the Plazoleta Carlos Pellegrini, at the beginning of Avenida Alvear, in Buenos Aires, at number 1130 Arroyo St. It was built by the doctor and large farmer (122.000 hectares) Celedonio Tomá ...

in Buenos Aires, begun in 1919 for the wealthy doctor and cattle rancher Celedonio Pereda, when Pereda fell out with the original French architect, Louis Martin. Dormal died in 1924 and did not see the building through to its completion in 1936. Since 1944 the Palacio Pereda has been used as the residence of the Brazilian ambassador.

References

Alberto Bellucci, José María Sert in Buenos Aires, J. Decorative & Propaganda Arts, Argentine Theme Issue, 1992. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dormal, Julio 1846 births 1924 deaths Argentine architects Belgian architects Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery Place of birth missing