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Properties: The history of the iconic Buenos Aires building that looks like it did in 1876 - La Nacion Propiedades
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Propiedades: la historia del icónico edificio porteño que se ve como en 1876
Se trata de la primera sede del Banco Central, construido por dos arquitectos extranjeros considerados pioneros de la arquitectura bancaria argentina
www.lanacion.com.ar
January 5, 2024
It is the first headquarters of the Central Bank, built by two foreign architects considered pioneers of Argentine banking architecture.
This is how the restoration of the building that was the first headquarters of the Central Bank on 275 San Martín Street, in the downtown area
It was the year 1872 when in an Argentina with a few years of history, the construction of one of the first banks in the country began: the Banco Hipotecario de la Provincia de Buenos Aires . By 1876, the elegant European façade of the building stood completed in the Federal Capital and more than half a century later it became the first headquarters of the Central Bank.
The passage of time, however, did its thing and dulled the brilliance it had in its glory days. Almost 150 years later, a group of specialists got to work and restored it to its original splendor thanks to exhaustive restoration work.
The architects of the building were the English architect Henry Hunt and the German Hans Schröeder, considered pioneers of Argentine banking architecture for giving life to the building located at 275 San Martín Street and others such as the Bank of London (1867) and the Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires (1874), today demolished.
They restored the facade of the first branch of the Central Bank, which is what it looked like in the late 1800s
The building took four years to build and was home to numerous institutions: in 1888 it was occupied by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation and in 1912 it was used as the Currency Fund. It was only in 1935 when the Central Bank was created that it was decided to locate its first headquarters there. This construction has a rich architectural history and is one of the icons of the city of Buenos Aires , made up of several buildings in the block delimited by San Martín, Reconquista, Teniente General Perón and Sarmiento streets. Added to this group is the property at San Martín 216, located on the adjacent block.
“This building is an exponent of the Italianate current of the second period , since its ornamentation is much more abundant than that found at San Martín 216, where other bank offices operate. The façade is monumental, with columns and pilasters that embrace the two floors ,” details the BCRA website.
Its majestic architecture stands out among the most modern buildings in the city's financial area
Its historicity was crowned in 2005 when it was declared a National Historical Monument through National Decree 1,563. The relevance of the construction remains to this day , and that is why a restoration process began in 2022 that ended in the first week of September of this year.
For this task, the BCRA authorities reported that a study was carried out with stratigraphic searches and laboratory analysis to determine its coloration and original composition. Historical documentary material was also searched and construction data was collected to prepare the Technical Specifications and contract the necessary services.
The restoration work was approved and supervised by the National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historical Assets. The process included cleaning, removal of additions and elements at risk of detachment, structural reinforcements and recomposition of imitation stone from the historic construction.
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