PALACIO SALVO

Located right in front of Plaza Independencia, the Palacio Salvo is without a doubt the most impressive and emblematic building in Montevideo. Inaugurated in 1928 by the brothers José, Ángel and Lorenzo Salvo, a family of Italian emigrants, this 27-story, 105-meter high skyscraper is an eclectic Art Deco architectural folly signed by the Italian architect Mario Palanti. Note that he is also responsible for the remarkable and singular Palacio Barolo along the Avenida de Mayo in Buenos Aires. It was built on the site of the former confectionery La Giralda, which hosted the most famous tango, La Cumparsita, composed by Gerardo Matos Rodríguez in 1917. The Montevideo Tango Museum is located on the first floor. The prominent tower of the Palacio Salvo, with its protruding forms and its gothic and neoclassical appearance, is spectacular. It was the highest building in Latin America until 1935. A visit to the building is a must, especially for the view it offers from its panoramic terrace at mid-height and from its top floor. Henri Le Corbusier himself described it as an "incredible abject monstrosity", a "public calamity". Imagine: in the current garage was a theater where Josephine Baker shook her banana belt under the astonished gaze of the Montevideo bourgeoisie. The first two floors are dedicated to sumptuous party rooms that preceded 370 apartments, all built on the same model, because they were thought of as the suites of a luxury hotel. But the dictatorship and the crisis wanted otherwise. When the Palacio Salvo fell into disrepair for several decades, the party spaces were converted into offices and rooms with plywood and neon lighting. Today, the tower is occupied by residents who have broken down walls or instead kept small units. But its renovation has now begun, first by removing an ugly antenna installed on its roof. The top floor is still cluttered with the metal frames of the antenna, while on the panoramic terrace there are messy wires and satellite dishes. The exterior gallery is remarkable for its stone carvings of octopus, crustaceans, fish and other sea creatures alongside lush vegetation. The symbolism continues in the covered passageway, which has regained its original portal that was removed 45 years ago.