Mariano Moreno National Library, National library in Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Mariano Moreno National Library is a brutalist concrete building designed by Clorindo Testa, Francisco Bullrich and Alicia Cazzaniga, inaugurated in 1992. Its upper mass, banded with windows, rests on four massive pillars, leaving the ground level open as a public square; a rounded concrete pod hangs within this void. Three underground deposits hold up to three million books and 500,000 periodicals.
The institution was founded in 1810 and began as a public library of Buenos Aires until it officially became a national library in 1884. This transformation shows how the collection grew from a city institution into a symbol of national importance.
The library is named after Mariano Moreno, the theorist of the May Revolution and its first Protector in 1810. Its full title, Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno, honours him, and the building's curved concrete sign reads "200 AÑOS DE LA BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL Fundada por Mariano Moreno". The National School of Librarians, founded in 1956, operates inside the building.
Visitors must bring identification to gain entry, as the library has policies to protect its collections. It helps to check in advance which collections are relevant to your needs so you can use your time there efficiently.
The reading room sits at the top of the building as a lookout over the port and the Río de la Plata. The book deposits were placed underground so light would not damage them, and the structure was lifted on four large columns, which Clorindo Testa described as a quadruped. The site was previously occupied by the Unzué Palace, demolished in 1956.
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