Palacio La Alhambra, Historical palace in Santiago, Chile.
Palacio La Alhambra is a historical palace in Santiago built across approximately 1,170 square meters with two interior courtyards. The structure features Moorish architectural elements, intricate stucco decorations, and Islamic-inspired mosaics throughout its spaces.
Construction took place in 1862 under architect Manuel Aldunate's direction, commissioned by mining aristocrat Francisco Ossa Mercado. The project aimed to replicate the famous Alhambra Palace from Granada in Chile.
The building has been the headquarters of the Sociedad Nacional de Bellas Artes since 1940, when philanthropist Julio Garrido Falcón donated it at the request of his friend Pedro Reszka Moreau, then the society's president. Today painting and drawing workshops and exhibitions are held there. The green banner on the facade announces the Encuentro Internacional held in Santiago de Chile.
The palace stands at Compañía 1340, in the downtown grid near the Universidad de Chile and Plaza de Armas metro stops. Two-thirds of the building, from the great hall to the rear courtyard, was closed by the Ministry of Public Works after the 27 February 2010 earthquake, so some rooms may not be open. Painting and drawing workshops run here; check with the Sociedad Nacional de Bellas Artes before crossing town.
The building is only one storey high except for the wing facing Calle Compañía, which rises to two and carries the carved gallery seen from the street. Behind it lie two main courtyards plus a service yard linked to the street by a narrow passage, following the 19th-century Chilean casona layout.
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