page_title: Government Palace (Peru)
section_title: Republican period
hierarchical_section_title: Government Palace (Peru) / History / Republican period
caption_attribution_description: Español: Palacio de Gobierno del Perú
context_page_description: The Government Palace, also known as the House of Pizarro, is the seat of the executive branch of the Peruvian Government, and the official residence of the President of Peru. The palace is a stately government building, occupying the northern side of the Plaza Mayor in Peru's capital city, Lima. Set on the Rímac River, the palace occupies the site of a very large huaca that incorporated a shrine to Taulichusco, the last kuraka of Lima.
  The Government Palace was originally built by Francisco Pizarro, governor of New Castile, in 1535. When the Viceroyalty of Peru was established in 1542, it became the viceroy's residence and seat of government. The most recent alterations to the building were completed in the 1930s, under the direction of President Oscar R. Benavides during his second term of office. The chief architects were Claude Antoine Sahut Laurent and Ricardo de Jaxa Malachowski.
  A number of ceremonial guard units of the Peruvian Armed Forces are stationed at the Palace, and participate in the daily Changing of the Guard ceremony and other official duties.
context_section_description: The Government Palace has served as the seat of government of all presidents of the Republic of Peru since the Viceroyalty came to an end.
  Fire gutted the building in December 1884, during the presidency of General Miguel Iglesias, and it had to be rebuilt.
  In 1921, fire again destroyed much of building. The then President, Augusto B. Leguía, ordered its reconstruction and, in modifying the facade, launched the building of the present Government Palace.
  Work began in 1926. The first phase was designed by French architect Claude Antoine Sahut Laurent (1883–1932). Construction came to a halt with his death in 1932. Phase II was built between 1937 and 1938 during the presidency of Oscar R. Benavides, who assigned completion of the building to Polish architect Ricardo de Jaxa Malachowski. Work began on 24 August 1937 with the demolition of the older structure, including what remained of Pizzaro's original adobe building. The project was completed the following year, when the new Government Palace was officially inaugurated.
caption: The 1938 French-inspired Neo-Baroque facade overlooking the Plaza de Armas
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