Palacio Carrasco, Cultural center in Viña del Mar, Chile

Palacio Carrasco is a Renaissance-style palace on Libertad Avenue in Viña del Mar, Chile, built across three floors with marble staircases and high ceilings. The facade is richly ornamented and the interior rooms are spacious, with carefully worked details throughout.

Emilio Carrasco, a saltpeter businessman, bought the land in 1903 and commissioned French architect Alfredo Azancot in 1912; Carrasco died in 1923 before completion later that year. In 1924 his heirs sold the property to local businessmen, and on 31 December 1930 mayor Manuel Ossa bought it for the municipality, which used it as the town hall until 1971. Damaged by the 1965 and 1971 earthquakes, it was restored under mayor Raúl Herrera and reopened in 1977 as a cultural centre.

Since 1977 the palace has held the Centro Cultural de Viña del Mar, the Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna municipal library and the communal historical archive. The Museo Fonck opened inside after the 1977 restoration and moved to a building behind the palace following the 1985 earthquake. The building also houses the city's tourism and economic development office.

The palace sits on Libertad Avenue in central Viña del Mar and is easy to reach on foot from the main city areas. It is worth setting aside enough time to see both the architecture and any current exhibitions without rushing.

A bronze sculpture titled 'La Défense', made by French artist Auguste Rodin in 1878, was installed on the palace facade only in 1977. This makes it one of the very few buildings in Chile to carry an original work by Rodin.