Palacio de Aguas Corrientes, Buenos Aires

The Palace of Running Waters (Palacio de Aguas Corrientes) stands as a significant architectural gem situated in Buenos Aires. Once serving as the central hub for Obras Sanitarias de la Nación, the building now falls under the administration of Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos (AySA).

Designed by architect Carlos Nyströmer, the structure started as a water pumping station in 1877 and was finished in 1894, replacing an unsightly water tower on Lorea Plaza, now Congressional Plaza, in Balvanera. The grand building still serves as a functional pumping station, adorned with over 300,000 colorful tiles from Royal Doulton, featuring a tin mansard roof and shields representing Argentina's 14 provinces at that time.

Two caryatids guard the building entrance. The property includes landscaped gardens with a sculpture by Norwegian artist Olaf Boye, honoring Guillermo Villanueva, the first Director of the Buenos Aires Water Supply and Drainage Company, a British-owned waterworks established in 1869.

After the British-owned company was nationalized in 1892, the building became owned by the City of Buenos Aires. This company later became OSN and was reprivatized in 1993 under a 30-year contract. The contract was terminated in 2006, transferring the property to the state-owned AySA. Today, the palace holds AySA offices, Historic Archives, and a small water works museum.

The Palace of Running Waters occupies a notable place within the pages of the book "Santa Evita" penned by Tomas Eloy Martinez. Additionally, its presence is acknowledged in his work titled "The Tango Singer".