Architectural history of the Cabildo and Government House of Santa Fe

When the city of Santa Fe moved in 1660, one of the first buildings to be built was the seat of the Cabildo : its function was to govern and impart justice . The first was a very precarious architecture , with walls of tapia and adobe, gable roofs of cane and wood.

In 1814, due to its deterioration, the authorities decided to build a new building. This work, completed in 1821, was carried out thanks to the help and the contribution from neighbors.

Within that historic Cabildo there were events of great importance both at the provincial and national level : provincial autonomy was announced from its balconies in 1815, inter-provincial treaties and pacts were signed and the National Constitution in 1853. From that moment on, a major stage began: the arrival of European immigrants, the impetus for political, social and economic changesin the agro-export model, the railways and the consequent emergence of villages around the stations, the construction of ports. This new scenario caused more than significant changes in the life and history of our country.

On December 10, 1907, in the main hall of the Cabildo , the Convention to Reform the Provincial Constitution was solemnly inaugurated, this being the last important public act to take place in the historical enclosure.

New architectural trends

Many of the transformations mentioned above were reflected in buildings, including the Cabildo , which was seen as a construction that did not correspond to the progress of the time. It is because of this that the provincial government ordered its demolition in 1908 .

The General Council of Education, located at that time on the top floor of the Sarmiento School (First Board and 1st of May), was the seat of the provincial government during the execution of the current House Grey.

The construction of the Government House took place between 1908 and 1917. For the lifting of the building was demolished the Cabildo, the Police Headquarters (known as the “giraffe” for its exotic tower that adorned the building) created in 1903 by the governor Rodolfo Freyre at the corner of St. Martin Street and February 3, and other constructions that completed the block. All this allows to understand the spirit that encouraged these majestic works. It was not just about the construction of new buildings, but the place chosen for them to occupy: the same site where the most representative architecture of the Hispanic periodwas located. Transformation of the Plaza 25 de Mayo sector and its surroundings, was the result of a modernization and progress plan in which both provincial and municipal authorities were committed.

Currently, here is the office the Governor and the Ministries of Justice and Human Rights, the Economy, Public Works and Government and State Reform.

Exquisite architectural details

The Government House is a work of the architect Italian Francisco Ferrari and represents the triumph of eclecticism. It is the building that best illustrates the spirit of the era and liberal period of Santafesina architecture.

Ferrari opted for an incomplete symmetrical plant to the south, ie half ma