Legislative Palace of Uruguay Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Legislative Palace of Uruguay
Palacio Legislativo del Uruguay

General information
Architectural style	Neo-classical architecture
Location	Montevideo, Uruguay
Construction started	1904
Completed	1925
Owner	General Assembly of Uruguay
Design and construction
Architect	Vittorio Meano Gaetano Moretti
Main contractor	G. y M. Debernardis

The Legislative Palace of Uruguay (which means Palace of the Legislature of Uruguay in Spanish) is a really important and beautiful building in Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay. It's where the General Assembly, which is like Uruguay's parliament, meets to make laws for the country. This building is the heart of Uruguay's law-making government.

It is located in the Aguada neighborhood of Montevideo. The building was finished and opened on August 25, 1925. This date was special because it was 100 years after Uruguay declared its independence. In 1975, it was officially named a National Historic Monument.

A Look Back: How the Palace Was Built
The Palace's Amazing Design
- Inside the Palace
Gallery
See also

A Look Back: How the Palace Was Built

The story of the Legislative Palace started in 1902. Back then, the government needed a new place for its lawmakers. Their old building, the Montevideo Cabildo, wasn't big enough or suitable anymore. So, they held a worldwide contest for architects to design a new building!

An Italian architect named Vittorio Meano won the contest. He was also designing a big government building in Argentina at the time. Sadly, he passed away suddenly before he even found out his design had won.

Construction of the palace began in 1904. President José Batlle y Ordoñez supported the project. Another Italian architect, Gaetano Moretti, took over the project after Meano's death. He helped plan the building's beautiful interior.

The inside of the palace is covered with different kinds of marble. A famous sculptor named José Belloni also helped. He created many detailed carvings and statues for the building. The palace officially opened on August 25, 1925, with President José Serrato leading the ceremony. However, the final decorations weren't finished until 1964.

The Palace's Amazing Design

The Legislative Palace has a special architectural style. It's called "Greco-Roman eclecticist." This means it mixes ideas from ancient Greek and Roman buildings. It has grand columns and a very formal look.

The outside walls, inside walls, ceilings, and columns are all covered with different types of marble from Uruguay. It took almost 30 years to build this impressive structure.

Inside the Palace

The building has three large main halls and many smaller rooms. There's also an upper floor where the Library of the Legislative Power is located. This library is huge, with more than 250,000 books! Many parliamentary offices are also on this floor.

Below the main floors, there's a large basement. This area has more offices, storage rooms, and workshops for printing and binding documents. The main front of the building lines up perfectly with Libertador Avenue.