Casa Presidencial (El Salvador)
![]() | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Spanish. (August 2023) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
![]() | This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (October 2023) ) |
Casa Presidencial | |
---|---|
![]() | |
General information | |
Address | Avenida Masferrer |
Country | El Salvador |
Coordinates | 13°41′06″N 89°14′24″W / 13.6851°N 89.2399°W |
Current tenants | President of El Salvador |
Construction started | 1911 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Luis Fleury |
Casa Presidencial, or "Presidential House" in the Spanish language, is the President of El Salvador's official residence and his offices.
History
Because of the 2001 earthquakes, the president's offices were moved from San Jacinto to the former Club Campestre in San Benito. As a result, "Casa Presidencial" in El Salvador refers to several separate locations. One is the president's current official residence which is located on Avenida Masferrer (approx three blocks north of the Masferrer "redondel" or traffic circle) in the upper portion of Colonia Escalon (AKA Lomas Verdes). The second "Casa Presidencial" is the old president's offices in San Jacinto. The San Jacinto location has been abandoned since the January/February 2001 twin earthquakes. The third "Casa Presidencial" is the current location of the president's offices, No. 5500 Manuel Enrique Araujo Highway (known as Calle a Santa Tecla), Colonia San Benito, San Salvador, which had been a country club with small golf course and then the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
Construction work on the original official residence began place in 1911, the year in which the President of the republic, Dr. Manuel Enrique Araujo, made a decree which would authorize the acquisition of a property called “Quinta Natalia”. That property was situated in the San Jacinto neighborhood, to the south of the capital city. On May 9, 1912, the Legislative Assembly allowed the hiring of a national, North American, or European firm for the construction of several buildings, including one destined to be "The Normal School for Teachers" which would later become the presidential house.
This area had evidence of human occupation since
This building is largely the work of Luis Fleury, whose design combines the elegant
The period between the 1950s and 1960s was of great economic growth, because of the raising prices of coffee internationally. Some call this time the “golden age of El Salvador”; this abundance was demonstrated in the splendor and fame that receptions and parties the Presidencial house showed. The old government house is surrounded by four beautiful parks, named after people of national and international importance. These people are:
Every president who governed from this mansion has tried to give it a personal touch, such as remodeling the building, changing the carpets or the wallpaper, or acquiring an art object to add to the collection. Some adornments and elements of the current rooms belonged to the former presidential houses. Among these are the Victorian era mirrors that adorn the Hall of Honor. Also, the collection of paintings that decorate the main halls were painted between 1957 and 1959 by the Chilean artist Luis Vergara Ahumada, with the historical guidance of Professor Jorge Lardé y Larín. They were painted during the administration of Lieutenant Colonel José María Lemus. The remodeling works completed during the administration of Dr. Armando Calderón Sol, were coordinated by the private secretary of the presidency, Ángel Benjamín Cestoni and supervised by the interior designer María Eugenia Perla. Earthquakes in January and February 2001 severely damaged the location and President Francisco Flores authorized the relocation of Casa Presidencial offices to their current location in San Benito. The photos on this page are from the new and current location.