Palácio do Grão-Pará, Neoclassical palace in Petrópolis, Brazil.
The Palácio do Grão-Pará is a neoclassical palace in Petrópolis featuring two floors with symmetrical windows and a central entrance portal. The building displays classical proportions and is decorated with ornamental elements that reflect 19th-century architectural language.
Built between 1859 and 1861 to designs by Theodoro Marx with Manuel de Araújo Porto Alegre, the palace first served as the "Quartel dos Srs. Semanários", lodging councilors from representative families who took weekly turns serving Emperor Pedro II. After the 1889 republic and the imperial family's exile, it housed the Court of Justice during the Old Republic, was rented to the Portuguese Embassy, hosted the Colégio Luso-Brasileiro and served as residence of former U.S. ambassador Edwin V. Morgan. With the ban lifted in 1925, it became the home of Prince Pedro de Alcântara, eldest son of Princess Isabel, from whom its name derives.
The palace's name comes from Prince Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará, eldest son of Princess Isabel, who made it his home after returning to Brazil. During the Empire it was called "Quartel dos Srs. Semanários", after the councilors who lodged there in weekly rotation serving Pedro II.
The palace stands on Rua Epitácio Pessoa in the centre of Petrópolis, behind the former summer Imperial Palace of Pedro II. It remains the private residence of Prince Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza, so it is not open to visitors; the facade and grounds can be seen from the street. Since 2016 part of the rear yard has been leased as a paid car park, entered through a side gate.
The palace is the only royal residence in the Americas that still belongs to its original royal family. This makes it a rare example of continuity with imperial history in the New World.
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