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The new destiny of a Buenos Aires palace that is one of the 10 oldest buildings in the city - La Nacion Propiedades
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www.lanacion.com.ar
March 25, 2025
From its function as the headquarters of the Club del Plata in the 19th century to its current declaration as a National Historical Heritage of the City, this building has gone through different stages and now opens a new one.
By Candela Contreras
The Rams Palace will be converted into a project with residences
It's a palace lost in time, right in the middle of the city . Located on the corner of Chacabuco and Hipólito Yrigoyen, it's one of the ten oldest buildings still standing in Buenos Aires. The Rams Palace has witnessed the transformation of the city center over the centuries.
From its function as the headquarters of the Club del Plata in the 19th century to its current declaration as a National Historical Heritage of the City , this building has gone through different stages and is now in its new phase: its conversion into a housing complex with commercial premises and a themed bar .
In 1925 , the historic building passed into the hands of the Vinelli family, a renowned real estate family. Until 2020, it became part of one of the five properties currently owned by the Gaman Group , a group of Argentine companies primarily dedicated to insurance brokerage and consulting.
Despite its beauty, the process of restoring and enhancing the building's value was not easy. "The original plan contemplated a mixed layout of offices and a clinic . But the elimination of Law 6508 , following the change in the city government, which promoted tax benefits for the redevelopment of the downtown area, forced us to rethink the project ," Juan Manganaro, president of the group, explained to LA NACION.
The palace, on an emblematic corner of the Monserrat neighborhoodDC
The regulations had the incentive of the urban transformation of the “Central Area of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires as a residential, intelligent and sustainable urban area”, with the tax exemption of Gross Income .
"This incentive made the price much more attractive," Manganaro adds, explaining that with the change in government in the city , the regulation was suspended . "The AFIP (Federal Administration of Public Works) considered us in debt for taxes that had already been approved. That forced us to halt the project and rethink the entire development ," he comments.
After months of uncertainty, in April 2024 , the Buenos Aires city government reintroduced an incentive scheme similar to the original ones, which helped unblock the initiative . "With this new regulatory framework, we achieved approval for the housing project, which we believe is the best option to preserve and enhance the building's value ," says Gabriel Madueña, architect of the Gaman Group, in charge of the project.
In turn, the group's architect emphasizes that the case of the Rams Palace reflects the difficulties faced by developers in Argentina due to the lack of regulatory stability.
“There's always goodwill on the part of governments, but there's also a lack of coordination that outweighs the goodwill, something that doesn't happen in European countries, for example. We're very far from this here, because in a building like this, some channels should be facilitated and opened, which isn't the case today,” says the architect in charge of the project.
The current project to convert the palace will be used as a residential building.
The Italianate- style building —a trend that was in vogue before the French architecture boom in Buenos Aires—stands out with its 3,038 m² of covered space on a 950 m² lot. The architectural intervention will seek to preserve the essence of the Rams Palace . “We are going to recover the original internal courtyards that were covered over over time, restore the balconies, and respect the 19th-century Italianate aesthetic that characterizes the façade . Inside, the renovation will be comprehensive, but maintaining the original walls,” adds architect Madueña. Construction is expected to begin in August 2025, with a completion period of 18 months .
With an investment of US$4 million , the building will have 16 residential units with two to four rooms , inspired by period architecture, distributed over three floors - seven on each of the first two floors and two on the top - with surfaces between 70 and 110 square meters .
The building will have 16 residential units with one to three bedrooms.
Furthermore, to generate "life" on the ground floor, eight high-end commercial spaces will be built , taking advantage of the building's prestige and also giving it a distinctive image. A themed bar will also be inaugurated, highlighting the building's history . "The idea is for it to be a tourist attraction to learn about the history of the place, which will give the city a strong identity," says the architect, who clarifies that the ornate facades, the type of paint, and internal circulation, among other elements, will be respected. Furthermore, with the expansion of the top floor, the new project will reach 3,200 square meters of covered area.
Despite the project's redesign, the building was never planned to be demolished or significantly altered , but rather restored . "The ground floor, first floor, and second floor will be completely renovated, while the terrace, which is the third floor, will be the only area where additional space will be added," adds Madueña.
"All the work will be done with great care. For us, the intention is to offer something historic to the city so that the Rams Palace will continue to live on for 200 years," concludes the group's president.
www.buysellba.com
Source:
El nuevo destino que tendrá un palacio porteño que es uno de los 10 edificios más antiguos de la ciudad
Desde su función como sede del Club del Plata en el siglo XIX hasta su actual declaración como Patrimonio Histórico Nacional de la Ciudad, este edificio pasó por distintas etapas y ahora estrena una nueva
www.lanacion.com.ar
March 25, 2025
From its function as the headquarters of the Club del Plata in the 19th century to its current declaration as a National Historical Heritage of the City, this building has gone through different stages and now opens a new one.
By Candela Contreras
The Rams Palace will be converted into a project with residences
It's a palace lost in time, right in the middle of the city . Located on the corner of Chacabuco and Hipólito Yrigoyen, it's one of the ten oldest buildings still standing in Buenos Aires. The Rams Palace has witnessed the transformation of the city center over the centuries.
From its function as the headquarters of the Club del Plata in the 19th century to its current declaration as a National Historical Heritage of the City , this building has gone through different stages and is now in its new phase: its conversion into a housing complex with commercial premises and a themed bar .
In 1925 , the historic building passed into the hands of the Vinelli family, a renowned real estate family. Until 2020, it became part of one of the five properties currently owned by the Gaman Group , a group of Argentine companies primarily dedicated to insurance brokerage and consulting.
Despite its beauty, the process of restoring and enhancing the building's value was not easy. "The original plan contemplated a mixed layout of offices and a clinic . But the elimination of Law 6508 , following the change in the city government, which promoted tax benefits for the redevelopment of the downtown area, forced us to rethink the project ," Juan Manganaro, president of the group, explained to LA NACION.
The palace, on an emblematic corner of the Monserrat neighborhoodDC
The regulations had the incentive of the urban transformation of the “Central Area of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires as a residential, intelligent and sustainable urban area”, with the tax exemption of Gross Income .
"This incentive made the price much more attractive," Manganaro adds, explaining that with the change in government in the city , the regulation was suspended . "The AFIP (Federal Administration of Public Works) considered us in debt for taxes that had already been approved. That forced us to halt the project and rethink the entire development ," he comments.
After months of uncertainty, in April 2024 , the Buenos Aires city government reintroduced an incentive scheme similar to the original ones, which helped unblock the initiative . "With this new regulatory framework, we achieved approval for the housing project, which we believe is the best option to preserve and enhance the building's value ," says Gabriel Madueña, architect of the Gaman Group, in charge of the project.
In turn, the group's architect emphasizes that the case of the Rams Palace reflects the difficulties faced by developers in Argentina due to the lack of regulatory stability.
“There's always goodwill on the part of governments, but there's also a lack of coordination that outweighs the goodwill, something that doesn't happen in European countries, for example. We're very far from this here, because in a building like this, some channels should be facilitated and opened, which isn't the case today,” says the architect in charge of the project.
The current project to convert the palace will be used as a residential building.
The future of the Rams Palace
In an excerpt from the book Making a Modern World: The Architecture of Edward Taylor by Daniel Schávelzon, the structure of this building is described as follows: “ The Rams Palace has a logical form, an enormous cubic volume with two central courtyards and two facades facing the streets. These were composed of a now unrecognizable base, two floors connected by enormous decorated pilasters, and the usual large cornice that crowned the whole. It could have been classified as a Renaissance-style building , but today it remains only as an open-air stump without its original corbels or decoration.” This description reflects the complexity of the repurposing. Nevertheless, the developers are moving forward with their dream of transforming the Rams Palace into a housing complex .The Italianate- style building —a trend that was in vogue before the French architecture boom in Buenos Aires—stands out with its 3,038 m² of covered space on a 950 m² lot. The architectural intervention will seek to preserve the essence of the Rams Palace . “We are going to recover the original internal courtyards that were covered over over time, restore the balconies, and respect the 19th-century Italianate aesthetic that characterizes the façade . Inside, the renovation will be comprehensive, but maintaining the original walls,” adds architect Madueña. Construction is expected to begin in August 2025, with a completion period of 18 months .
With an investment of US$4 million , the building will have 16 residential units with two to four rooms , inspired by period architecture, distributed over three floors - seven on each of the first two floors and two on the top - with surfaces between 70 and 110 square meters .
The building will have 16 residential units with one to three bedrooms.
Furthermore, to generate "life" on the ground floor, eight high-end commercial spaces will be built , taking advantage of the building's prestige and also giving it a distinctive image. A themed bar will also be inaugurated, highlighting the building's history . "The idea is for it to be a tourist attraction to learn about the history of the place, which will give the city a strong identity," says the architect, who clarifies that the ornate facades, the type of paint, and internal circulation, among other elements, will be respected. Furthermore, with the expansion of the top floor, the new project will reach 3,200 square meters of covered area.
Despite the project's redesign, the building was never planned to be demolished or significantly altered , but rather restored . "The ground floor, first floor, and second floor will be completely renovated, while the terrace, which is the third floor, will be the only area where additional space will be added," adds Madueña.
"All the work will be done with great care. For us, the intention is to offer something historic to the city so that the Rams Palace will continue to live on for 200 years," concludes the group's president.
www.buysellba.com
