Buenos Aires Culture House

Location: De Mayo Avenue No. 575

The Culture House is located in Monserrat neighborhood in Capital Federal, on De Mayo Avenue, was inaugurated in 1898.

The building was made for La Prensa Newspaper and nowadays is occupied by Buenos Aires government Culture House. It is one of the most luxury buildings of XIX century in the city.

The project was developed by a French architect’s studio and the plans covered designs for each process of the newspaper confection, including the printing and distribution. The design was completed and executed in Buenos Aires by the engineers Alberto Gainza and Carlos Agote.
The building —has six floors and two subsoil— the structure was designed around a central courtyard. It was equipped with ultimate generation technology of the epoch: an internal communication system of pneumatic pipes, telephones and transmitter and cable news receivers.

The Culture House was declared Argentina National Historic  Monument since 1995 due its Architectural value.

What to visit at the Culture House

La farola

La Farola was settled in 1898. The statue that crowns the tower is work of Maurice Bouval, a bronze streetlamp in gold color of 5, 50 meters high and 4.100 kilograms weight. The statue is a woman figure that holds up a torch in one hand and a newspaper in the other one, it represents Palas Atenea the goddess of wisdom.

The Sirem

It was common in the building construction epoch that the important news, were announced with a bomb din. In July 29, 1900 the newspaper incorporate the novelty of announce big news trough the siren din. It sounds for first time on July 27, 1900, for Humberto I of Italy murder. With it other events were announced as the arrival of the men to the moon (1969), Argentina soccer world championship in 1978, Juan Pablo II, arrival and the return to the democracy with the president Raul Alfonsín, in 1983.

The Library

It was located in the interior courtyard, the soon of José C. Paz, Ezequiel, was in charge of creating a public library that was inaugurated in 1899 with 80.000 books.

The golden Saloon

In the first floor there is an act saloon that has the name of the golden saloon even though in the beginning it has the name of Conference Popular Institute, and it was the place of the weekly reunions.

At the saloon important personalities of the letters and arts, argentine and foreign dictated conferences in them, like Jorge Luís Borges.

How to get there

It is possible to reach the culture house by buses number: 22, 24, 28, 29, 56, 61, 64, 86, 91, 105, 111, and 126.
Other option is to travel in subway, take line A, till Peru station.

Hotels close to Buenos Aires Culture House

Gran Hotel Hispano
Dos Congresos Hotel
Castelar Hotel