Residencia Presidencial de Suárez y Reyes, or simply Residencia de Suárez (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

for Suárez Residence), is the

official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...

of the

president of Uruguay The president of Uruguay ( es, Presidente del Uruguay), officially known as the president of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (), is the head of state and head of government of Uruguay. Their rights are determined in the Constitution of Urugua ...

, so-called because it is located at the intersection of Suarez and Reyes streets, in

Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It migh ...

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

. To its back lies the Montevideo Botanic Garden. It was built during the first presidential term of

José Batlle y Ordoñez 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 ...

History

In 1907 the land lot was acquired by Adelina Lerena de Fein at auction. There, the Fein Lerena family ordered the construction of a three-storey house by the young architect

Juan María Aubriot Juan María Aubriot (1876–1930) was a Uruguayan architect. Some of his most important buildings are: *School of Law, University of the Republic The University of the Republic ( es, Universidad de la República, sometimes ''UdelaR'') is Urug ...

, who finished the work in 1908. After the death of the house owner, the family decided to sell the estate, which was acquired by the German Werner Quincke; He commissioned reforms to the architect Karl Trambauer, who added its characteristic tower. The Quincke family sold it to the Susviela Elejalde family, who were forced to give up their rights to the Montevideo Municipality due to financial problems.

Presidential residence

In 1925, the young

Luis Batlle Berres Luis Conrado Batlle y Berres (26 November 1897 – 15 July 1964) was a Uruguayan political figure. Background Batlle Berres was a journalist and prominent member of the Uruguayan Colorado Party. He was selected — in hindsight, with far- ...

and

Matilde Ibáñez Tálice Matilde Ibáñez Tálice (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 3 March 1907 – Montevideo, 4 September 2002) was a First Lady of Uruguay from 1947 until 1951 as the wife of former President Luis Batlle Berres. Ibáñez is also the mother of Jorge Batlle Ibáñ ...

met while walking in front of this property. Soon after they were married. In 1947, Luis Batlle Berres was already

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, and at the suggestion of his wife they chose this mansion as their official residence. They commissioned reforms to the architect Juan Scasso (who designed and built the Centenario Stadium).

Residents of the House

Several Uruguayan Presidents had their official residents there: *

(the first president to live at Suarez) *

Andrés Martínez Trueba Andrés Martínez Trueba (11 February 1884 – 19 December 1959) was the President of Uruguay from 1951 to 1955. Background Martínez Trueba was born in Montevideo and grew up in the Peñarol area, graduating from university with a degree ...

Jorge Pacheco Areco Jorge Pacheco Areco (April 9, 1920 – July 29, 1998) was a Uruguayan politician and member of the Colorado Party. He served as President of Uruguay from December 6, 1967 to March 1, 1972.

Juan María Bordaberry Juan María Bordaberry Arocena (; 17 June 1928 – 17 July 2011) was a Uruguayan politician and cattle rancher, who served as constitutional President from 1972 until 1973, and then ruled as the head of a civilian-military dictatorship up t ...

Aparicio Méndez Aparicio Méndez Manfredini (24 August 1904 – 27 June 1988) was a Uruguayan lawyer and political. He was a de facto President of Uruguay from 1976–1981 as a non-democratically elected authority of the civic-military dictatorship. Backgrou ...

* Gregorio Álvarez *

Julio María Sanguinetti Julio María Sanguinetti Coirolo (; born 6 January 1936 in Montevideo, Uruguay) is a Uruguayan politician, lawyer and journalist, who twice served as President of Uruguay (from March 1985 until March 1990, and again, from March 1995 until Marc ...

(twice) *

Luis Alberto Lacalle Luis Alberto Lacalle de Herrera, GCMG (; ''Lacalle'' locally or ; born 13 July 1941), is a Uruguayan politician and lawyer who served as President of Uruguay from 1990 to 1995. Background His mother, María Hortensia de Herrera de Lacalle, ...

Jorge Batlle Ibáñez Jorge Luis Batlle Ibáñez (; ''Batlle'' locally or ; 25 October 1927 – 24 October 2016) was a Uruguayan politician and lawyer, and a member of the Colorado Party. He served as the President of Uruguay from 2000 to 2005. Dr. Jorge Batlle ...

Luis Lacalle Pou Luis Alberto Aparicio Alejandro Lacalle Pou (; ''Luis Lacalle'' locally or ; born 10 August 1973) is a Uruguayan politician and lawyer serving as President of Uruguay since 1 March 2020. Son of former president Luis Alberto Lacalle, Lacalle ...

Some others decided not to use it as official residence. For instance: Oscar Gestido,

Tabaré Vázquez Tabaré Ramón Vázquez Rosas (; ''Vázquez Rosas'' locally ; 17 January 19406 December 2020) was a Uruguayan politician who served as the 41st president of Uruguay from 2015 to 2020. He previously served from 2005 to 2010 as the 39th presiden ...

and

José Mujica José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano (; born 20 May 1935) is a Uruguayan politician, former revolutionary and farmer who served as the 40th president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former guerrilla with the Tupamaros, he was tortured and im ...

decided to live in their own private houses. President elect for the 2020–2025 term, Luis Lacalle Pou, has stated he and his family will move to the residence.

Gallery

File:Residencia Presidencial - panoramio.jpg, Rear facade File:Rosedal de la Residencia Presidencial 1 - panoramio.jpg, Rose garden File:Barbacoa de Residencia Presidencial - panoramio.jpg, Quincho File:DSC 0577 (4344333302).jpg, David D. Nelson,

United States Ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S ...

presenting his credentials to President

(2005-2010; 2015-2020) in February 2010.

References

Buildings and structures in Montevideo Presidential residences Prado, Montevideo {{Uruguay-poli-stub