Laboratorio de Idiomas, Language education building in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Laboratorio de Idiomas is a six-story building with Renaissance Revival architectural details located at the intersection of 25 de Mayo and Tte. Gral. Perón streets. It houses various departments and research institutes that belong to the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at the University of Buenos Aires.
Built in 1906 as the Palace Hotel by shipping entrepreneur Nicolás Mihanovich, the building received the Municipal Award for Best Facade in its opening year. The structure was later adapted for university purposes and now functions as an educational facility.
The ground floor and basement were reserved for Mihanovich's shipping company, whose office had stood on this corner; the hotel entrance was at 25 de Mayo 221, the shipping office at the Perón corner. The lobby keeps its Louis XIV decoration, ceramic mosaic floors, stained glass reworked with the BHN initials, and an imperial marble staircase with bronze globes.
The building stands in the city's business district at a major street intersection and is easily accessible by public transportation. As an active academic facility, access may be limited depending on university activities and schedules.
The mirador over the Perón and Alem corner, once giving views of the Río de la Plata, was damaged in a storm on 26 February 1996 and has since stayed walled up behind a makeshift sheet-metal covering. The rooftop terrace with its pergola and the dome at 25 de Mayo and Perón were demolished.
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