Antiguo Congreso Nacional, Buenos Aires, Legislative building in Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
The Antiguo Congreso Nacional is a limestone building with classical architecture reflecting Italian academic principles from the late 1800s. Inside, a central session hall and adjacent rooms showcase the design details of that era.
President Bartolomé Mitre opened this first Argentine Congress building in 1864, where the legislature met until 1905. Afterward, the building was incorporated into a new structure rather than demolished completely.
The session hall preserves original 19th century furnishings like stenographers' tables and decorative lamps that show how legislators worked in this space. These items tell the story of the political debates that took place here and shaped the nation.
The building sits at the corner of Balcarce and Hipólito Yrigoyen streets near Casa Rosada and is easy to reach on foot. Guided tours allow visitors to explore the interior and see the preserved spaces where legislators once worked.
In 1942, most of the structure was demolished for the National Mortgage Bank, but the main session room was preserved and enclosed within the new building. This left the historic space like a time capsule buried inside modern walls.
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