The Roundhouse - a great mansion

The neighbours wonder whose house it is, and why it has been closed for years. It is not just any house, but a large art nouveau mansion in a perfect state of preservation. It is located in a residential area of Buenos Aires. It is known as La Casa Redonda, but little is known about this private residence with its mysterious past and present.

Construction of the great mansion

The construction of La Casa Redonda - a large mansion - does not go unnoticed. Its tower and colourful Italianate style has little to do with the Tudor-style houses and petit hotels of the area. Its location is strategic, it is in the corner of Eduardo Costa and Ortíz de Ocampo streets, in Barrio Parque, facing Figueroa Alcorta Avenue.

According to records of the work of the painter and architect Palanti in Argentina, the emblematic mansion was inaugurated in 1922. Chrysler was also a work by Palanti. La Redonda is located on the south side of this huge building.

Mario Palanti architect of La Casa Redonda, a grand mansion

It is said that the architect built the large mansion opposite the dealership so that the Fevre family, Chrysler's representative in Argentina, could watch from the windows of their house the test track for cars that the building had on its top floor.

There are those who, when contemplating this architectural jewel of the City of Buenos Aires, immediately remember another Buenos Aires treasure: the Barolo Palace. The fact is not surprising if we take into account that the author of both buildings is the same. Mario Palanti developed his academic training in his native country but left much of his legacy in Argentina.

He arrived in Buenos Aires at a very young age, only 25 years old, with the aim of taking part in the construction of the Italian Pavilion. This was to become the beginning of what was to become a brilliant career for him, a sign of his great talent and creativity.

If you stand on the pavement of Figueroa Alcorta, you can see its Indian-style curved lookout tower protruding amidst the jacaranda tree canopy. It has a masonry railing from which an iron weather vane rises. In addition, the gates show wooden reliefs that, for many, evoke Dante, author of the Divine Comedy, and Beatrice, its protagonist.

"It is undoubtedly Palantinesque, from the bulbous and oversized bases of the balconies, to the evocation of the Italian Middle Ages of the galleries and all the ornamentation, surely unique, designed and made just for this house, such as the lanterns in the garden, the carving on the doors, etc.", describes Espina Rawson.

A ghost in The Roundhouse - A large and mysterious mansion

Throughout its history, it passed through several owners. Between 1940 and 1949 La Casa Redonda-a large mansion-was inhabited by the Ceballos family. Until one of the daughters died of tuberculosis and they moved to the Savoy Hotel. Later a family from Salta used it during their stays in Buenos Aires. It was also the Iranian Embassy until 1979, when Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlaví was still in power.

It was therefore reported that it has a registered security bunker, bouncing plates, automatic weapons systems and security and surveillance windows. It was then bought by the Fucile family, who spent four years restoring it because it was in a bad state of disrepair. They lived there until 1998 when they sold it.

It was closed for years until the Argentinian company Mobili decided to rent it and invest a large sum of money to restore it and set up a luxury furniture showroom where works of art were also exhibited. They occupied the place for about two years and since then it has been closed.

Vicky Peláez, who curated the exhibition, recalls how luxurious the mansion was inside: "On the ground floor there was a boiserie, a large fireplace and a grand staircase.

The enigmatic Round House - A great mansion full of secrets

According to reports, the owner of La Redonda is Argentinean and lives abroad. Meanwhile, the house remains at night with its lights off, there is no doorbell or intercom in sight and only one sign with the numbering, Eduardo Costa 3079, can be seen, despite the fact that it has entrances from both streets. It is within a protected area called APH 3 Grand Bourg, a quiet area with Parisian-style diagonals designed by Carlos Thays.

In turn, one of the customers who used to go shopping for furniture at the site revealed that strange things were happening inside at the time. "The lights would turn on by themselves, the alarm would go off, the paintings would move and objects would fall from the top of the stairs. There were rumours in the neighbourhood that the ghost of the chauffeur of the first inhabitants lived there, who died in an accident inside the house at the beginning of the century.

According to the interactive site of the Buenos Aires Government, Ciudad3D, where it appears under the number 3083, the residence has a built-up area of 810 m², while the plot has 466 m².

It has two floors and is listed as an Architectural and Urban Heritage of the City, with structural protection, since, according to Law 3056, being a building prior to 1941, it cannot be demolished or modified. However, the report says nothing about its current owners. "It is sad to see such a beautiful house closed," say the neighbours.

You can walk through Barrio Parque accompanied by the Round House, if you wish to enjoy a beautiful escort. Barrio Parque is an area chosen by many important people: judges, artists and politicians take refuge in the English and French style mansions that multiply along the curved streets. They are low houses and imposing architectural works.