The Casa Amarilla de Caracas (''English'': Yellow House) is a 19th Century neoclassical building in Plaza Bolívar, Caracas and in front of the Santa Ana Cathedral, in the city's main historic quarter. Originally, it served as the headquarters of the Royal Jail of Caracas and the City Council but, after being reformed, it was used as the government palace and official residence of

presidents 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 ...

including

Francisco Linares Alcántara Francisco de Paula Linares Alcántara (13 April 1825 – 30 November 1878) was the president of Venezuela (1877–1878) and a member of the Liberal Party of Venezuela. Personal life Francisco Linares Alcántara was born on April 13, 1825 in ...

and

Cipriano Castro José Cipriano Castro Ruiz (12 October 1858 – 4 December 1924) was a high-ranking member of the Venezuelan military, politician and the president of Venezuela from 1899 to 1908. He was the first man from the Andes to rule the country, and was ...

. Since 1912 it has been the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On 16 February 1979, the Yellow House was designated a National Historical Monument.

History

In the first known plans of Caracas, drawn up by the Governor

Juan de Pimentel Juan de Pimentel was an early governor of Venezuela Province, the Venezuela Province being one of the Spanish Empire. Under his governorship (1576 - 1583) the capital of the Province was moved from El Tocuyo to Caracas. He was a Knight of the O ...

in around 1578, the original site was a quarter of a

block Block or blocked may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting * W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...

and was occupied by a house. This house was probably only a modest construction of

bahareque , also spelled , is a traditional building technique used in regions such as Caldas, which is one of the 32 departments of Colombia.. , which came from the word , is an old Spanish term for walls made of bamboo ( in Spanish) and soil. Guadua is ...

and horcones. In 1689, part of that lot was acquired by the Caracas city council for the heirs of Antonio de Tovar to build the new city prison, opened in 1696. The south side of the plot became the property of the council in 1704, after a land swap with Isabel María Xedler. On this site the new headquarters of the City council, finished in December 1750, was built. The House of the Cabildo was the location of the protests of 19 April 1810, when canon

José Cortés de Madariaga José Cortés de Madariaga (8 July 1766 – March 1826) was a South American patriot. Biography Cortés de Madariaga studied theology in Santiago de Chile, and was ordained in 1788. He continued his studies at the Universidad de San Felipe and g ...

stood on its balconies and signalled the people of Caracas to disavow Captain General

Vicente Emparan Vicente is an Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese name. Like its French variant, Vincent, it is derived from the Latin name ''Vincentius'' meaning "conquering" (from Latin ''vincere'', "to conquer"). Vicente may refer to: Location *São Vicente, Cap ...

, in what is known as the first step to Venezuelan Independence. This event was recorded in contemporary writings, with the original kept and exhibited in the Santa Rosa Chapel of Lima of the Municipal Palace. The earthquake of 26 March 1812 affected the building, which remained in ruins for decades and affecting the seat of the City Council, with the reconstruction taking four years. In 1841, Congress approved the sale of both buildings from the Municipality to the National Government, allocating them as the seat of the government. After its renovation, the building was inaugurated in 1842 under the presidency of the General

José Antonio Páez José Antonio Páez Herrera (; 13 June 1790 – 6 May 1873) was a Venezuelan leader who fought against the Spanish Crown for Simón Bolívar during the Venezuelan War of Independence. He later led Venezuela's independence from Gran Colombia. H ...

. In 1874, by order of president

Antonio Guzmán Blanco Antonio José Ramón de La Trinidad y María Guzmán Blanco (28 February 1829 – 28 July 1899) was a Venezuelan military leader, statesman, diplomat and politician. He was the president of Venezuela for three separate terms, from 1870 until 1 ...

, the building received the image that it now holds, when it was converted into the Government Palace. The remodelling works were directed by the architect

Juan Hurtado Manrique ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

, who built the 1810 City Hall memorial pavilion on the south side. The Government Palace was inaugurated on November 7 of that year, along with the statue of Simón Bolívar in the Plaza that has since been named after him. By the Law of 4 May 1877, the National Congress allocates the Government Palace to "Mansion of the President of the Republic". General

became the first to live there.Maldonado-Bourgoin (1994), p. 227 Painted yellow, the color that represented the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, it began to be called "Yellow House" in official documents. During the

1900 San Narciso earthquake The 1900 Venezuelan earthquake, better known as the 1900 San Narciso earthquake (Español: ''1900 terremoto de San Narciso''), occurred on October 28 at between 4:30 and 4:45 am local time. This earthquake had an epicenter off Miranda State or ne ...

of 28 October, the second president to inhabit the House,

, jumped into the street with an umbrella from one of his balconies, which lead him to consider changing from an official residence to a building with anti-seismic structure. In 1904 the Presidential House was transferred to

Miraflores Palace The ''Palacio de Miraflores'' (Spanish for Miraflores Palace) is the official residence of the President of Venezuela. It is located on Urdaneta Avenue, Libertador Bolivarian Municipality in Caracas. History Construction and decoration Co ...

, and the Yellow House became occupied by the High Court of Cassation and the Government of Caracas. Finally, by decree issued on 28 October 1912 by President

Juan Vicente Gómez Juan Vicente Gómez Chacón (24 July 1857 – 17 December 1935) was a Venezuelan military general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air ...

, the building was converted into the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Maldonado-Bourgoin (1994), p. 286 In 1989 the second floor of the House caught fire, destroying part of the building's artistic heritage. Ramon_Bolet_Peraza_0000.jpg, ''Caracas, Casa de Gobierno, Plaza Bolívar'' (Ramón Bolet Peraza, 1870) Casa_Amarilla_1904_000.jpg, Postcard from 1904, with a side view of the Yellow House

Architecture

The Yellow House has a regular floor plan, with a square shape and two floors, organized around a central courtyard; this courtyard is surrounded on both floors by a terrace and balcony corridor, defined by Ionic columns that support a series of arcades. It has several protocol halls, among which stands out the Bolívar Room, which occupies the entire front of the second floor.

References

External links

* * * {{coord missing, Venezuela Historic sites in Venezuela Buildings and structures in Caracas