Castillo Azul, Legislative building in San José, Costa Rica

Castillo Azul is a two-story mansion of about 1,000 square metres built in reinforced concrete on granite footings, with moulded wood doors and windows. Its plans came from the Hennebique firm in Paris under engineer P. Falsimagne, and Alfredo Andreoli directed the work. The facade mixes neocolonial and Mediterranean elements: round arches, balustrades, brackets and columns. Inside are six halls with Italian granite floors and Andalusian mosaic outside, plus a Spanish-style courtyard with Mudejar arches and a central fountain by Catalan architect Luis Llach.

Máximo Fernández Alvarado commissioned the mansion in 1911 from the Andreoli e Induni engineering firm, intending it as a presidential residence near the Bellavista barracks. After the inconclusive 1914 election, Alfredo González Flores occupied it, and dictator Federico Tinoco lived there until his 1919 exile. The United States then bought it for its embassy; in 1989 the government acquired it for the Legislative Assembly.

The name comes from the blue flag of Máximo Fernández's Republican Party. Inside, six halls have Italian granite floors and Andalusian mosaics; the Spanish-style patio, with Mudéjar arches and a central fountain by Catalan architect Luis Llach, is a detail visitors can spot.

The building now houses offices of Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly, situated between Central Avenue and 17th Street. Visitors should check for official events since access and timing can vary depending on legislative sessions and security protocols.

In 1932, rebels seized the Bellavista barracks and loyal troops fired from the Central Penitentiary, now the Children's Museum. A stray shot brought down the embassy's blue tower; ambassador Roy Tasco Davis wrote to Washington that it was only "a great fright" and that the fallen tower released a large honeycomb, giving him fresh honey for months.