Palace of the Argentine National Congress

The Palace of the Argentine National Congress is the building where Argentina's parliament meets, in Buenos Aires. It stands in the Balvanera area at the edge of Monserrat, in the neighborhood called Congreso. It was built between 1898 and 1906 and is a National Historic Landmark.

The design is neoclassical, mostly in white marble. The palace is crowned by a bronze dome 80 m high that has weathered to green. In front of the main entrance stands a bronze chariot sculpture, a quadriga, with four horses. The Kilometre Zero for national roads is marked at the plaza next to it.

Who built it

The Italian architect Vittorio Meano designed the palace, and the Argentine architect Julio Dormal finished it. It cost about 6 million US dollars. It was accepted by Congress on 12 May 1906, but its decorations were not finished until 1946.

The 8 m quadriga is by the sculptor Victor de Pol. It is bronze and weighs about 20 tonnes. Lola Mora made many allegorical bronzes and marble figures for it. In 1974 an annex was begun, because the building had grown too small for its purpose over time, and it now holds the Deputies' offices, while the main palace stays the seat of Congress.

Inside and outside

The dome weighs about 3,000 tonnes and sits on an inverted dome foundation 10 m deep. Inside, the Lost Steps Hall and the Blue Room are two famous rooms.

In front lies the Plaza del Congreso, designed by Charles Thays. The Kilometre Zero marker for all of Argentina's national highways is in the square.

On the globe

The model shows the Greco-Roman palace under its green dome, with the bronze quadriga above the portico.