Palacio Rivas, Historic site in Santiago, Chile.
Palacio Rivas is a grand mansion built in Neo-Renaissance Italian style, recognizable by its finely carved stone details and numerous decorative elements covering the main facade. Located at the corner of Avenida Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins and San Martin Street, it now serves as part of the Hotel Diego de Almagro.
The mansion was commissioned by Chilean mining entrepreneur Juan Francisco Rivas and completed in 1887 by architect Eduardo Provasoli. It gained National Monument status in 1983, securing its place as a record of upper-class architectural ambitions from that era.
The building shows the taste and values of wealthy Chilean families in the late 1800s through its detailed design and materials. Walking around it, you can see how prosperity expressed itself in ornate stonework and carefully planned proportions.
The building sits at a major intersection and is easy to locate and reach on foot from surrounding areas. Since it is now part of a hotel, the exterior is usually accessible, but access to the interior may have restrictions.
An eight-story hotel tower was built directly above the original mansion, preserving the historic exterior while adapting it for modern hospitality use. This unusual arrangement shows how older buildings can be repurposed while keeping their original facade intact.
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