Casa Matriz del Banco República, Neoclassical bank headquarters in Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo, Uruguay.
Casa Matriz del Banco República is a neoclassical building featuring grand columns, symmetrical proportions, and detailed stone sculptures in the Ciudad Vieja district. The facade displays the formal balance and orderly design characteristic of this architectural style.
The bank's first offices dated from 1866 at Zabala and Cerrito, and by 1915 the board resolved to build a new headquarters on the same block. The definitive project was presented in July 1928 by architect Giovanni Veltroni, and the building was inaugurated on 19 February 1938. A 1953 expansion added two office floors and a plant level, and in 1975 it was declared a National Historical Monument.
The facade sculptures were added after the 1938 inauguration: José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín's statue of José Gervasio Artigas was unveiled in 1949, and allegorical reliefs installed in 1950 depict the Artiguista epic, the Instructions of the Year XIII and the Exodus of the Oriental People.
The building occupies the entire block bounded by Cerrito, Zabala, Piedras and Solís streets in Ciudad Vieja, with its main entrance on Cerrito. It still operates as the bank's headquarters, so visits are limited to the public areas and the exterior facade. The 1949 Artigas statue and the 1950 reliefs on the main facade are best seen from the street.
The building was featured in the 2014 short film Protocolo Celeste, where it served as a backdrop for a story involving the recovery of a stolen medal. Notable figures from entertainment and sports appeared in the production.
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