AMERICAN EXPRESS PARTNERS IN PRESERVATION
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Church of La Merced (1733–1779, 1894)
Part
of one of the oldest monasteries in the city, the Church of La Merced in
the historic center of Buenos Aires dates from 1779. A neo-Renaissance
façade was added to the building in 1894 by the important Argentinian
architect Juan Antonio Buschiazzo.
The church is visited by thousands of tourists each year, and was named a National Historical Monument in 1942. It preserves much of its interior furnishings and decoration, although the effects of humidity, water infiltration and general neglect over the years have damaged the altar, paintings and ornamental plaster and threatened the stability of the structure.
The preservation plan includes urgent repairs and structural stabilization, the replacement of electrical systems that have become dangerous, and the development of a conservation master plan for the church, outlining priorities and methodologies for intervention.
