The Villar Residence, mistakenly called Haedo for many years[1], is a 19th-century building in the Retiro neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is located on Avenida Santa Fe, to the southwest of the Torre Monumental and across the street from Plaza San Martín, in close proximity to the Plaza Hotel. It was built as a residence for colonel Reinaldo Villar (1830-1908), a wealthy landowner from Entre Ríos province, and his family.[2]
| Villar Residence | |
|---|---|
Residencia Villar | |
.JPG) View from Av. Santa Fe | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Palace |
| Address | Santa Fe 690 |
| Town or city | Buenos Aires |
| Country | Argentina |
| Current tenants | National Parks Administration (1935–present) |
| Completed | c. 1883 |
| Owner |
|
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) |
|
History
edit.jpg)
Colonel Villar bought from the Haedo family in 1881 a single-story, old house, located in this peculiar, triangular city block. Divided into several lodgings, it belonged to José Braulio Haedo, a justice of the peace in San Isidro, Buenos Aires province. Tenants rented out the different rooms. After his death, the property passed to his brother Mariano F. Haedo and to three nephews from another brother, neither of whom lived there. The deed of sale of July 18, 1881, before public notary Manuel Salas, proves they were the sellers and that the property changing hands was that old, single-story house.[3]
The new building commissioned by colonel Villar was designed by Swiss engineer Giuseppe Maraini. It resembled a twin-tower Italian castle; fitted out as a villa suitable for a wealthy family, it was among the first major buildings in the northern part of the city.
Many years after his death, between 1928 and 1930, his daughter Dominga Villar, nicknamed Numa, commissioned architects Passeron and Brizuela to transform the building into a French Neo-Gothic castle that would not have been out of place on the shores of the Loire river in France.
After Ms. Villar's death in November 1931, the building was mortgaged and by 1935 it had come under the ownership of the Banco Popular Argentino. It was then rented by the National Parks Administration, who purchased it in October 1942. It has been a listed historic monument since 2001.
Today, the strangely shaped triangular edifice bounded by Maipú, Avenida Santa Fe, and Marcelo T. de Alvear, although still owned by the National Parks authority, now known as the "Administración de Parques Nacionales".[4], is surrounded by scaffolding. An integral refurbishment of the building started in 2023 with an estimated cost of AR$ 580 million. [1]
Listed building
editSince 2001, under Bill 25.427, the building has been listed as a national historic monument.[5][6]
References
edit- ^ a b c Avanza la obra de refacción del Palacio Haedo, histórico edificio de Parques Nacionales on Argentina.gob.ar, 7 Sep 2023
- ^ Milberg, Alejandro S., Vecinos interesantes (3): La casa Villar, [1]
- ^ Archivo General de la Nación, Buenos Aires, Escritura de venta. Registro de escribanos, Manuel Salas, Nº 34, año 1881, tomo 2, folio 869 vuelta a 872
- ^ "Sede de la Administración de Parques Nacionales" in "Ciudad Autónima de Buenos Aires" Archived 2011-11-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 June 2013
- ^ "Sobre el Edificio de Santa Fe 690", Biblioteca Perito Francisco P. Moreno. Administración de Parques Nacionales. Argentina. (in Spanish) Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ "Administración de Parques Nacionales" Archived 2013-06-20 at archive.today, Comisión Nacional de Museos y de Monumentos y Lugares Históricos. (in Spanish) Retrieved 6 June 2013
