page_title: Buenos Aires Central Post Office
section_title: Original project
hierarchical_section_title: Buenos Aires Central Post Office / History / Original project
caption_attribution_description: English: The old Post Office building of Buenos Aires, designed by Sweden Arq. Carl Kihlberg (1873-78). The building was incorporated in 1886 into the Casa Rosada, seat of the Argentine Government. Español: Antiguo Palacio de Correos de Buenos Aires, proyectado en 1873 por el arquitecto sueco Carl Kihlberg y completado en 1878. El edificio es, desde 1886, parte de la Casa Rosada, sede del gobierno nacional de Argentina.
context_page_description: The Buenos Aires Central Post Office building, now the Néstor Kirchner Cultural Centre, was the seat of the Correo Argentino until 2005. It is located in the San Nicolás, Buenos Aires neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  The building was designed in the Neoclassical Beaux-Arts style and with Second Empire style elements by French architect Norbert Maillart.
  Construction started in 1899, and after several long pauses and changes to Maillart's original design, was finally opened in 1928.
  The Palacio de Correos was declared National Heritage in 1997 due to its architectural style, historical relevance and the artworks inside the building. It ceased activities as a post office in 2003 and two years later the National Government called a tender to turn the building into a cultural centre as part of the celebrations to commemorate the 200th. anniversary of May Revolution. The first name chosen was "Centro Cultural del Bicentenario", changing to "Néstor Kirchner Cultural Centre" in 2012.
  The Central Post Office building, after extensive renovations, construction, and restoration, now houses the Néstor Kirchner Cultural Centre, which opened in May 2015.
context_section_description: Due to the increasing demand for post services in Argentina, in 1888 the Post Office director, Ramón Cárcano, proposed a specific building as seat for the Postal Service. The Ministry of Public Works hired French architect Norbert-Auguste Maillart to design the building and carry out the project. Maillart's concept building was based on the City Hall Post Office of New York City.
  Once the project received approval from the president Miguel Juárez Celman, Maillart started works in 1889 on land given by the society Las Catalinas, sited on the block among Leandro N. Alem Ave., Corrientes Ave., Bouchard and Sarmiento streets. Works were interrupted in 1890 because of the economic crash that caused the fall of president Juárez Celman.
caption: The former post office building (c. 1873), currently part of Casa Rosada.
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