Latin America’s first skyscraper is also the first piece of Mario Palanti’s emigration puzzle. In the 1920s, the Italian architect wanted to create showpieces for Argentina and Uruguay in the form of mysterious skyscrapers. The Palacio Barolo was built in Buenos Aires and the Palacio Salvo was constructed in Montevideo. Their construction was commissioned by Italian emigrants who believed that Europe was already lost and that the ‘promised land’ lay in America. Barolo’s eclectic Palacio combines Art Nouveau, Neo-Gothic and Neoclassicism, with many of the decorations referencing the work of Dante. Barolo wanted it to be in his edifice that the ashes of Italy’s most famous poet would be laid to rest.
Welcome home
At the end of the 19th century, Luis Barolo, a resourceful Italian farmer, arrived in Argentina. Thanks to the spinning machines he imported, his cotton manufacturing and processing business proved to be quite a success. After two decades of hard work, Barolo came up with the idea of paying homage to his favourite author, Dante. His palace would be the place to protect the poet’s ashes from European turmoil. In addition to his Dantean fascinations, the businessman believed that Europe was facing another war that would wipe out all its cultural achievements. The architect Mario Palanti met Barolo and his views on the Italian-Argentine affair in 1910. This meeting resulted in a shared desire to create patriotic buildings that would ‘welcome’ Italians fleeing a ‘failing’ Europe.
In 1919, construction of the Palacio Barolo began. Obtaining planning permission was not too easy as the design for the 100-metre-high building in the centre of Buenos Aires was four times the height allowed. However, the respected architect managed to get the permit and work continued until 1923. It is worth noting that in the 1920s Palanti’s portfolio already included, for example, the design of the Italian pavilion at the international exhibition held for Argentina’s centenary in 1910.
The Southern Cross
The façade combines neo-classical symmetry with the expressive forms of Art Nouveau. The manifestations of the latter style are particularly noticeable in the cream-coloured concrete, which is juxtaposed with the green mansard roof. The thick smooth arches also hint at Art Nouveau. This exuberant style is suppressed by the repetition and symmetry of the neoclassical balconies and pilasters. Windows of various forms are also an interesting feature of the façade. Noticeable are those with shapes of smooth arches, ellipses or even Gothic pointed arches.
The structure consists of a base and a centrally located tower with a lantern. The roof of the tower is reminiscent of the domes of the Hindu Rajarani temple in Bhubaneshvara. In Buenos Aires, the roof is inspired by the ‘temple of love’ to symbolise Dante’s love for Beatrice. The top of the tower hides several other curiosities. In early July, an ornament with a spire indicates the exact position of the Southern Cross constellation. This is, of course, no coincidence – in The Divine Comedy, Dante most likely describes this very constellation. Interestingly, 9 July is Argentina’s Independence Day.
The entire edifice is filled with more or less obvious references to the ‘Divine Comedy’. Upon entering the ornate walkway, the ghostly ornamentation catches the eye. Dragon monsters are arranged under the granite cornice, while birds and sea creatures decorate the rest of the room. Under the central dome is a sculpture depicting an eagle carrying Dante on its wings up to the gates of Purgatorio. Fourteen Latin inscriptions are placed on the sides of the entrance vault. These are words taken from the Bible, Virgil (Dante’s guide) and other authors. It is still worth noting that the ground floor rooms differ somewhat in their decoration. Some of the vaults and floors contain more floral Art Nouveau decoration, while others make use of Gothic rosettes, gargoyles and medieval vaulting stitching.
Between the figures
Monsters and other sculptures directly inform the Dantean inspiration. However, Palanti has also ‘hidden’ Dante in the technical division of the building. the 100 m height is, after all, the code (3 × 33 1) of the ‘Divine Comedy’ marking the number of songs contained in the work. Nine entrances lead inside, corresponding to the number of circles of hell. The floors, in turn, correspond to specific stages of Dante’s journey, i.e. the basement and ground floor represent hell, floors one to fourteen represent purgatory, and the remaining seven floors symbolise paradise. It is also worth mentioning the foundations designed according to the golden ratio.
In addition to the “Divine Comedy”, Palacio Barolo also has patriotic overtones. The stucco floors consist of tiles in the colours of the Italian flag. Moreover, the elements linking the architect, Barolo and Dante are their nationality… and their participation in freemasonry. Admittedly, only nineteenth-century writers attributed Dante’s participation in Freemasonry (there is no data confirming the existence of a lodge at the time), but this fact did not prevent the builder from associating the poet with the lodge. Numerous references to Freemasonry can be found in the building, including the circlet on the steel lift.
Via La Plata
Palanti’s most interesting idea, was an intercity link between Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The light sent out by the lighthouse on top of the Palacio Barolo was to be noticeable in the Uruguayan capital, and the buildings themselves are similar. You can read about the Palacio Salvo, built five years later, HERE. Both buildings form a gateway leading Italian immigrants to the coveted La Plata.
In terms of breaking height records, it should be noted that the Palacio Barolo remained the tallest building in South America until 1935, when the modernist Kavanagh Building was built. Despite this change, the record remained in Buenos Aires.
Since the late 1980s, the Palacio Barolo has been listed as a monument in Argentina. The rooms of the mysterious edifice are rented out for offices, shops and language schools. The building’s beautiful and somewhat strange architecture still puzzles the residents of Buenos Aires and Montevideo to this day. However, this is not the end of the Italian-Latino story of Mario Palanti, as he left behind a few more architectural secrets.
Source: Palacio Barolo
Read also: Architecture | Curiosities | Office building | Monument | Eclecticism | whiteMAD on Instagram
