The current National Palace of El Salvador, located in

San Salvador San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital it ...

, the capital city of the country of El Salvador, replaced the old National Palace built in 1866–1870, which was destroyed by fire on December 19, 1889. The construction, done between 1905 and 1911, was the work of engineer José Emilio Alcaine, under the direction of the foreman Pascasio González Erazo. To finish the project, legislation was passed that collected one colón for every ''quintal'' of coffee exported. The materials used were imported from several European countries including Germany, Italy and Belgium. The Palace's facilities were occupied by government offices until 1974. The building contains four main rooms and 101 secondary rooms; each of the four main rooms has a distinctive color. The Red Room (''Salon Rojo'') is used for receptions held by the Salvadoran Foreign Ministry, and the ceremonial presentation of ambassadors' credentials. It has been used for ceremonial purposes since the administration of General

Maximiliano Hernández Martínez Maximiliano Hernández Martínez (20 October 1882 – 15 May 1966) was a Salvadoran military officer and politician who served as the president of El Salvador from 4 December 1931 to 28 August 1934 in an acting capacity and again in an officia ...

. The Yellow Room (''Salon Amarillo'') is used as an office for the President of the Republic, while the Pink Room (''Salon Rosado'') housed the Supreme Court and later the Ministry of Defense. The Blue Room (''Salon Azul'') was the meeting place of the Legislature of El Salvador from 1906, and its classical architecture with Ionian, Corinthian and Roman elements is notable. The room is now called the ''Salvadoran Parliament'' in commemoration of its former purpose, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974.

References

*https://web.archive.org/web/20120407125235/http://www.laprensagrafica.com/opinion/editorial/62179-el-antiguo-palacio-nacional.html *http://www.elsalvador.com/mwedh/nota/nota_completa.asp?idCat=6482&idArt=3290128 Buildings and structures in San Salvador Palaces in El Salvador {{ElSalvador-stub