Government House Museum

Hipólito Yrigoyen 219
Tel. 4344-3802 / 4344-3803
Open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Does not close on holidays

Located in the physical and symbolic center of the city and the country, this museum occupies rooms that formed part of three different buildings pertaining to different periods of our history. The first of these buildings was the Fort of Buenos Aires, known as the San Miguel Castle or Real Fortress of San Juan Baltazar de Austria (16th to 18th century); then it was the New Customhouse of Buenos Aires (1855-1894) and, finally, the Central Post Office, the erection of which was begun in 1873, and which eventually formed part of the "Pink House " (Government House).
This was the first of a series of buildings that finally gave shape to our present Government House. In 1942, as a result of excavation work on Hipólito Yrigoyen St., the remains of some buildings that had been buried by successive constructions in the area during the 19th century were discovered. On account of this discovery, the Government House and the archaeological remains were declared National Historical Monuments and Sites in 1942. The Museum of the Government House was inaugurated on October 12, 1957. Presidential symbols can be appreciated in the Room of Presidential Sashes and Batons, where objects, clothing, uniforms and manuscripts are also exhibited. Among them, a jacaranda wood and leather Victorian armchair belonging to Santiago Derqui ; a rocking chair in bronze and plush belonging to Domingo F. Sarmiento; the uniforms worn by Agustín P. Justo and Julio A. Roca ; the shawl and characteristic hat belonging to Hipólito Yrigoyen, and Luis Sáenz Peña's walking stick amongst many other exhibits. Humor is also present in the form of political caricatures.