The Palacio Haedo is a 19th-century building on the Avenida Santa Fe in

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 ...

, 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, in close proximity to the Consulate of Colombia and the Gran Hotel Buenos Aires. 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 National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

, 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 Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style, it first resembled an Italian castle. It was fitted out as a villa suitable for an aristocratic family and subsequently enhanced with

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

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, 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."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