The ceramic facade
Thousands of pieces.
HalloweenHJB (photo)Carl Nyströmer (1856–1913) and Olaf Boye (1864–1933) (building) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · HalloweenHJB — CC BY 3.0 · HalloweenHJB at English Wikipedia — CC BY-SA 3.0 · HalloweenHJB at English Wikipedia — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Elsapucai — CC BY 3.0
The Water Company Palace is one of Buenos Aires' strangest and most beautiful buildings: a palatial facade clad in thousands of coloured ceramic pieces and materials imported from Europe, hiding a huge iron structure that holds giant water tanks. It was built in the late nineteenth century, after cholera and yellow fever epidemics ravaged the city, as a great reservoir distributing drinking water to its neighbourhoods, and has been a National Historic Monument since 1989. Inside, the Museum of Water and Sanitary History tells the story of bringing water and sewers to the city, with a quirky collection of old bathroom fittings, and part of the iron framework and tanks can be seen. The facade alone rewards a close look, with its coloured ceramic detail, corners and sloping roofs. The museum opens Monday to Friday, with free walk-in guided tours in Spanish at set times. Entry is free on Wednesdays.
Thousands of pieces.
Inside the palace.
Sanitary history.
Avenida Córdoba 1950, Balvanera; museum entrance at Riobamba 750
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