The Palacio Haedo is a 19th-century building on the Avenida Santa Fe in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is located to the south of the Torre de Los Ingleses and the Plaza San Martín and

Monument del libertador Jose de Plaza San Martín A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

, in close proximity to the

Consulate of Colombia A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...

and the

Gran Hotel Buenos Aires Gran may refer to: People * Grandmother, affectionately known as "gran" *Gran (name) Places * Gran, the historical German name for Esztergom, a city and the primatial metropolitan see of Hungary * Gran, Norway, a municipality in Innlandet cou ...

. It was built in the late 19th century as a residence for the Haedo family by architects Passeroni and Brizuela in the Neo-Gothic style. In 1871, the residence was acquired by Reynaldo Villar and subsequently by Dominga Villar y Cristina Manuela Villar, but soon came under the ownership of the Banco Popular Argentino. Now the headquarters of the National Parks Administration, it has been a listed historic monument since 2001.

History

The building was completed in the latter half of the 19th century as a residence for the well-to-do Haedo family. Mariano Francisco Haedo (1816–1886) had made a fortune in railways and banking. Designed by the architects Passeroni and Brizuela in the Neo-Gothic style, it first resembled an Italian castle. It was fitted out as a villa suitable for an aristocratic family and subsequently enhanced with Renaissance trimmings. In 1871, the residence was acquired by Reynaldo Villar and subsequently by Dominga Villar y Cristina Manuela Villar, but soon came under the ownership of the Banco Popular Argentino. In October 1942, under President

Ramón Castillo Ramón Antonio Castillo Barrionuevo (November 20, 1873 – October 12, 1944) was a conservative Argentine politician who served as President of Argentina from June 27, 1942 to June 4, 1943. He was a leading figure in the period known as t ...

, the State bought the building for the national parks directorate (Dirección de Parques Nacionales). In so doing, it contributed to preserving the surroundings of the Plaza San Martín. Today, the strangely shaped triangular complex bounded by Maipú, Avenida Santa Fe, and Marcelo T. de Alvear, still houses the headquarters of the national parks authority, now known as the

Administración de Parques Nacionales The National Parks Administration of Argentina ( es, Administración de Parques Nacionales) is a public agency in charge of maintaining the network of national parks, created in 1934 to preserve the biological diversity and the cultural resources ...

."Sede de la Administración de Parques Nacionales" in "Ciudad Autónima de Buenos Aires"
. Retrieved 5 June 2013. Bibliotica Francisco P Moreno is also located in this building.

Listed building

Since 2001, under Bill 25.427, the building has been listed as a national historic monument."Administración de Parques Nacionales"
, Comisión Nacional de Museos y de Monumentos y Lugares Históricos. Retrieved 6 June 2013

Gallery

File:Palacio Haedo (ca. 1890).jpg, Early view of the building (c. 1890) File:Palacio Haedo (1).JPG, Palacio Haedo today File:Administracion de Parques Nacionales 04.JPG, Side view

References

{{Coord, 34, 35, 45, S, 58, 22, 36, W, type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in Buenos Aires Government buildings in Argentina Renaissance Revival architecture in Argentina