Palacio Díaz, Art Deco building on Avenida 18 de Julio, Montevideo, Uruguay
Palacio Diaz is a 17-story Art Deco building on Avenida 18 de Julio distinguished by geometric patterns and vertical lines across its exterior walls. The facade underwent comprehensive restoration between 2011 and 2012, returning it to its original appearance.
Designed by Gonzalo Vázquez Barrière and Rafael Ruano for the Díaz family, the Palacio Díaz was inaugurated in 1929. It stands on Avenida 18 de Julio between Ejido and Yaguarón, a few blocks east of the Palacio Salvo. In 1995 it was classified as a Bien de Interés Municipal.
The ground floor once housed Radio Carve's broadcast studio in the 1940s, serving as a hub for the nation's early radio culture. This space played a role in Montevideo's emerging media landscape during that era.
Palacio Díaz stands at Avenida 18 de Julio 1333, between Ejido and Yaguarón streets, a few blocks east of the Palacio Salvo and near the Palacio Municipal. The ground floor holds a shopping arcade that connects the two streets, so pedestrians can cut through the building. The upper floors are apartments and offices and are not open to visitors.
In 1945 the Sociedad Anónima de Radioemisoras del Plata, operating from the Radio Carve auditorium on the ground floor, ran Uruguay's first closed-circuit television tests. That company later helped form the society that created Canal 10, the country's first television channel. The building has been listed as a Bien de Interés Municipal since 1995.
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