We had mixed reviews on whether to go see the Museo Evita, a museum devoted just for Argentina's iconic first lady and wife of President Juan Domingo Perón. Housed in a gorgeous 1923 mansion that from 1948 belonged to Eva Perón's social foundation, Museo Evita celebrates the Argentine heroine with videos, historical photos, books and posters. However, the prize memorabilia has to be her wardrobe: dresses, shoes, handbags, hats and blouses are all on display. For me that was enough to go see, and after seeing the display, I can say I do remember her pictured in many of the dresses. There was even a picture of her kicking a soccer ball – in heels .
The Museum is worth the visit; although I highly recommend going on the tour. I caught up with a tour guide about half way through the museum and the guide proved to be very knowledgeable and entertaining.
The museums walls are covered in quotes from Evita and little splices of history, but to get the full story and a better understanding of each room a guide is needed. We also had a late lunch there, and for a museum it was extremely and surprisingly delicious.
One day while walking around we came across the Palacio de Aguas Corrientes.
The Palace of Flowing Waters as it's known in English, is an architecturally significant water pumping station, yes!!! This is the most elegant public works building I have ever seen. The building was designed as a water pumping station in 1877 by Swedish Argentine architect Carlos Nyströmr, and completed in 1894. It was commissioned, in part, to replace a unsightly water tower on Lorea Plaza. Occupying a whole city block at the northern end of the city's Balvanera section, the Córdoba Avenue landmark still functions as a pumping station.The French renaissance palace was covered in over 300,000 glazed, multi-color terra cotta tiles imported from the renowned British ceramics maker, Royal Doulton. Hyacinth Bouquet would have been very pleased indeed! It features a tin mansard roof, and is emblazoned with escutcheons representing the 14 Argentine provinces, at the time. Words and pictures do not capture the beauty and size of this magnificent building.
The building does feature a museum inside, but we were told the outside was the piece de la résistance. And it certainly was. We figured to use our time seeing other points of interests and skipped the inside.
Up next...some gratuitous go-go's and some spirits.
