Ornate halls
French style.
Leandro Kibisz — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Andrzej Otrębski — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cancillería Argentina — CC BY 2.0 · Cancillería Argentina — CC BY 2.0 · Galio — CC BY-SA 3.0
Palacio San Martín, also known as the Anchorena Palace, is the ceremonial seat of Argentina's Foreign Ministry, facing Plaza San Martín. The architect Alejandro Christophersen designed it for Mercedes Castellanos de Anchorena, of one of the city's grandest families, and building began in 1909 in the French Beaux-Arts style. The government bought it in 1936 for the Foreign Ministry, and since the ministry moved to a modern building in 1993 the palace has been kept for ceremonies and official receptions. Its ornate rooms hold works by twentieth-century Argentine and Latin American artists, a pre-Columbian collection and the Museum of Argentine Diplomacy. It has been a National Historic Monument since 1994. Free guided tours run on some weekdays, booked ahead on the ministry's website; it is closed at weekends, and tours may be suspended for official functions, so check before you go.
French style.
Argentine artists.
Foreign relations.
Arenales 761, facing Plaza San Martín, Retiro
Palacio PazPalacio Paz was the largest and most lavish private residence in Buenos Aires, b2 minutes walk
Edificio Kavanagh (Kavanagh Building)The Kavanagh is an Art Deco apartment tower facing Plaza San Martín, one of the 5 minutes walk
Museo Fernández Blanco (Palacio Noel)The Isaac Fernández Blanco Museum of Spanish-American Art began in the 1910s in 5 minutes walk
Torre Monumental (Monumental Tower)The Torre Monumental is a red-brick and stone clock tower in Retiro, given to th6 minutes walk
Galerías PacíficoGalerías Pacífico is a Beaux-Arts building on pedestrian Florida Street, designe8 minutes walk4.5Yes, on free guided tours some weekdays, booked ahead; they may be suspended for official functions.