Palate of the Congress of the Argentinian Nation

The Palacio del Congreso of Nación Argentina or Palais of the Congress of the Argentinian Nation is the building where the activities of the legislative power of the Argentine republic proceed. It is located at Buenos Aires, in the square limited by the avenues Rivadavia and Hipólito Yrigoyen, and the streets fixes Combate de Los Pozos, and Between Ríos . The surface of this square exceeds 10 000 m ².

History

A law of 1894 authorized the government to build the Palate, investing with this intention the sum of six million pesos of the time. In February of the following year, one decided to make an international contest of projects in order to be able to choose that which would be appropriate best and one fixed at the October 12th 1895 the date for the presentation of those.

28 projects were presented and the January 8th 1896 work was allocated to Italian Victor Meano. The contract was approved the July 31st year. The following year, work was allocated to the building firm Pablo Besana there Cía. for 5.776.745 pesos.

Work began in August 1897, and the whole was inaugurated in 1906 by the President of the time, Jose Figueroa Alcorta. However the totality of work was completed only in 1946, i.e. nearly fifty years after their planning. The budget for its construction passed from less than 6 million in 1897, with more than 31,4 million pesos in 1914. Of this fact some by irony baptized it the " palate of or" , allusion to the speed with which the building site engulfed the million.

The architect Victor Meano was assassinated on July 1st 1904, with the result that the finalization of work was entrusted to the Belgian architect Jules Dormal, who respected the original project.

Structure

Work is of style gréco-Roman, and belonged to what is called the Italian academicism, one of the characteristics of Víctor Meano.

The building is characterized by its dome, which exceeds the 80 meters height. The construction of this dome implied considerable work of engineering, since it was necessary to support a few 30 thousand tons of the superstructure of the central cupola. The cap is a réticulée structure of steel. The four pillars under the drum, intended to support such a weight have 300 m ² section and are made blocks of granite.

The heights of the frontages are of 27,50 meters on the level of the street Hipólito Yrigoyen and of 23,60 meters on the level of the streets Between Ríos, Rivadavia and Pozos. Various stages or levels of the building have the caractetristic following ones:

The main entrance, called Entrada de Honor ( Entered of honor ), is located on the street Between Ríos. The entry is preceded by a central atrium, decorated with six columns of Corinthian style which support a triangular pediment, and it door is surrounded by two Caryatid S of marble. The access of the Deputies is located for its part on the Avenida Rivadavia while that of the senators is in Avenida H. Yrigoyen. Behind the netting of the frontage located street Pozos one finds two doors additional, on each side of the projecting body in the shape of hemicycle of the frontage. These doors are forged artistically and flanked by bronze caryatids.

With the inauguration of the building, at the sides of the staircase of the main entrance were two groups of sculptures of the artist Lola Mora, which symbolized Freedom, Progress, Peace and Justice, but the stripped subjects were criticized and the statues withdrawn in 1916. Currently are there four lions winged.

The triangular pediment is decorated of a stone sculpture with the escutcheon of Argentina.

Behind the pediment is an ornamented platform, of width equal to this pediment and 15 side meters. On this one is a Quadrige, a bronze work 8 meters height and a weight of 20 tons, realized by the Victor sculptor of pol. the tank is drawn by 4 horses, symbolizing the triumphing Republic, and is led by the winged Victoire.

The dome has a copper cover which, with the wire of time and because of moisture, became greenish (green of gray). It is lengthened and ends in a crown decorated with chimerical figures, with 80 meters height, from where a lightning conductor spouts out.

Subway

the Palate of the Congress is accessible by the line subway or '' subte '' from the city (station " Congreso" ).

See too

Plaza del Congreso or Place of the Congress

External bonds

Site of the Congress of the Argentinian Nation

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