Catete Palace
| Catete Palace | |
|---|---|
| Palácio do Catete | |
Former Presidential Palace; now Republic Museum
|
|
| General information | |
| Status | museum |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Location | Rio de Janeiro |
| Address | Rua do Catete, 153 |
| Town or city | Rio de Janeiro |
| Country | Brazil |
| Current tenants | Ministry of Culture (Museu da República) |
| Construction started | 1854 |
| Completed | 1867 |
| Renovated | 1883 |
| Client | António Clemente Pinto, Baron of Nova Friburgo |
| Owner | Brazilian government |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Carl Friedrich Gustav Waehneldt |
| Website | |
| museudarepublica.org.br | |
Coordinates: 22°55′33.15″S 43°10′34.31″W / 22.9258750°S 43.1761972°W
The Catete Palace (Portuguese: Palácio do Catete, IPA: [paˈlasju du kaˈtetʃi]) is an urban mansion in Rio de Janeiro's Catete neighborhood. The property stretches from Rua do Catete (Catete Street) to Praia do Flamengo (Flamengo Beach). Construction began in 1858 and ended in 1867. From 1894 to 1960, it was Brazil's presidential palace and the site of Getúlio Vargas' suicide. It now houses the Museu da República (Republic Museum) and a theatre. The Catete underground rail station is adjacent.
The building was built as the residence of family of the Portuguese-born Brazilian coffee producer António Clemente Pinto, Baron of Nova Friburgo, in the then capital of the Empire of Brazil. It was called the Palace of Largo Valdetaro and Palace of Nova Friburgo.
With the design of the German architect Carl Friedrich Gustav Waehneldt, dated 1858, the work began with the demolition of the old house. The construction officially ended in 1866, but the finishing works still continued for over a decade.
After the death of the Baron and the Baroness, their son Antônio Clemente Pinto Filho, the Count of São Clemente, sold the property in 1889, shortly before the Proclamation of the Republic of Brazil, to an investors group, who founded the Companhia Grande Hotel Internacional (Grande Hotel Internacional Company). This development, however, did not succeed in turning the palace into a luxury hotel. Due to the economic crisis in the late 1880s and early 1890s (The Encilhamento), the venture went bankrupt, and its titles acquired by counselor Francisco de Paula Mayrink. Five years later, Mayrink paid off debts to the Bank of Brazil.
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Wikipedia