Palacio Salvo

The Salvo Palace, in Montevideo

The Salvo Palace is the most emblematic skyscraper of Montevideo, an elegant Art Deco tower erected at the corner of the Independence Square and the avenue 18 de Julio. The Montevideo audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this singular monument, formerly the tallest building of South America, twin of the Palacio Barolo of Buenos Aires, become the symbol of the silhouette of the capital.

The emblematic skyscraper of Montevideo

Impossible to miss the Salvo Palace, that erects its singular silhouette at the corner of the Independence Square and the avenue 18 de Julio. Completed in the 1920s, this skyscraper was, at its inauguration, the tallest building of all South America, a feat of which the people of Montevideo were extremely proud. With its superimposed floors, its eclectic ornaments and its high tower crowned with a dome, it mingles the Art Deco and neo-Gothic influences in a flamboyant and unique style. The palace is the work of the Italian architect Mario Palanti, who also designed, in Buenos Aires, on the other bank of the Rio de la Plata, the Palacio Barolo, its twin brother, with which it shares an astonishing resemblance; the two buildings thus face each other, on either side of the estuary. The Salvo Palace owes its name to the Salvo brothers, entrepreneurs of Italian origin who financed its construction and wanted to make it a prestigious building, at once hotel, building of offices and of dwellings. Over time, it became the architectural symbol of Montevideo, its most recognisable postcard. Even today, it shelters apartments and welcomes the visitors curious about its history and the view it offers over the town. An Art Deco skyscraper and an emblem of the capital, the Salvo Palace is a fine stop of the discovery of Montevideo.

What to see

Here you admire the most emblematic skyscraper of Montevideo, an elegant Art Deco and neo-Gothic tower completed in the 1920s, at the corner of the Independence Square and the avenue 18 de Julio; formerly the tallest building of South America, the work of the Italian architect Mario Palanti, it is the twin of the Palacio Barolo of Buenos Aires and owes its name to the Salvo brothers. The Salvo Palace is the emblem of Montevideo. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Salvo Palace stands at the corner of the Independence Square and the avenue 18 de Julio, in Montevideo, reachable on foot. You admire its silhouette from the square; it shelters apartments and offers tours whose hours and conditions vary. It is best to enquire before coming. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

Why is the Salvo Palace famous in Montevideo?

Because it was, at its completion in the 1920s, the tallest building of South America, and because it became the emblematic skyscraper of the town; this elegant Art Deco and neo-Gothic tower, the work of the Italian architect Mario Palanti, is the twin of the Palacio Barolo of Buenos Aires and owes its name to the Salvo brothers, entrepreneurs of Italian origin who financed its construction.

Where is the Salvo Palace in Montevideo?

At the corner of the Independence Square and the avenue 18 de Julio, in Montevideo, in Uruguay.