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Palaces in Retiro
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Several notable mansions flank the Plaza San Martin, including the El Palacio San Martin at Arenales 761, originally El Palacio Anchorena. The classic French-style Palacio Anchorena was completed in 1909 by architect Alejandro Christophersen and lived in by the Anchorena family until they were left penniless. It was acquired by the Argentine government in the late 1920s and transformed into Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship. The ministry subsequently moved. The palacio now offers free guided tours. Tel: +54 (0) 11 4819 8092. (As the façade is currently undergoing restoration tours have been suspended but are scheduled to start again on 2 September on Mon and Wed at 2.30pm in English and Spanish.)
On the entire southwest side of the plaza is possibly Argentina’s largest residence, Palacio Retiro, formerly known as Palacio Paz, commissioned by the founder of one of Argentina’s daily newspapers La Prensa, Jose Paz. He died before it was finished in 1914 and was never able to appreciate its French-inspired magnificence. Much of the original furniture was sold when the Paz family fell upon hard times. Only part of the palace is open to the public. Guided Tours. Tel: +54 (0) 11 4311 1071 or see the Circulo Militar website. Part of the palace also houses the Museo de Armas de la Nacion which has collections of military uniforms and armaments. Tel: +54 (0) 11 4311 1071.
The Palacio Noel on Suipacha 1422 with Avenida Libertador is a 1920s neocolonial palace that was once the residence of architect Martín Noel. Today it houses the Museo de Arte Hispanoamericano Isaac Fernandez Blanco. Museum founder Fernández Blanco donated many silver, wood carvings, furnishings and paintings from the Spanish colonial period. It’s divided into three sections over three floors - the Conquest of the Andes, Buenos Aires as a port and the Jesuit and the indigenous jungle cultures. The museum also displays several private art collections, including Noel’s. The house is reputedly haunted by a lady in white. Palacio Noel was damaged after a terrorist bomb exploded in the Israeli Embassy opposite. It has since been restored. Guided tours in English can be arranged. Free on Thurs. Open Tues-Sun 2pm-7pm. Closed Jan. Tel: +54 (0) 11 4327 0228 or go to Museos Buenos Aires.
Nearby the Plaza Carlos Pellegrini boasts several French-inspired edifices built in the first quarter of the 20th century when Buenos Aires was bent on becoming the Paris of the South. To the south is Palacio Celedonio Pereda; a copy of Palais Jacquemart-Andre, it now houses the Brazilian Embassy. The Palacio Unzue de Casares, the Jockey Club’s headquarters, on Alvear 1345 dominates the northern side of the plaza. Just across on Calle Cerrito is the Palacio Ortiz Basualdo, now the French Embassy.
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