Sarmiento Historical Museum

HISTORY
The building of the Municipality of Belgrano, current Sarmiento Historical Museum, is above all a signature building, designed by the architect Juan Buschiazzo (1846-1917) who had a very outstanding performance in the second half of the 19th century being recognized as “ the architect of the Generation of the eighties”.

The Municipal House was built between 1869 and 1872 in an Italian Neo-Renaissance style also known as “Italianizing”. Its bell tower was modified and the clock purchased by the National Government was incorporated in homage to the building that was the seat of the "Congress of Belgrano" in 1880. The work was formally completed with the placement of a sculpture representing the Republic in the apex of the access portico on Juramento street, given by a neighbor, Mr. Florencio A. Núñez.

In 1880, the National Congress held its sessions and passed laws such as the federalization of Buenos Aires, promoted by President Nicolás Avellaneda and sponsored by Sarmiento. The latter, being President of the Republic, exercised four times the power of veto over laws that sought to establish the capital of the Republic outside of Buenos Aires. As a definitive reaffirmation of its opinions on the matter, the institution has an unpublished manuscript entitled "Buenos Aires is and will be the capital of the Republic."

The municipal building integrated the foundational block of the town of Belgrano together with the civil registry, the public library and the museum of natural sciences. Municipal offices functioned in this building until 1938.
MUSEUM
The first attempt to found the Sarmiento Museum came with Law No. 8109, of December 26, 1910. The law proposed to expropriate what was the home of Domingo F. Sarmiento, the current Casa de San Juan, located today in the Calle Sarmiento 1251, for the constitution of a museum that would bear his name. Based on this law, the well-known reliquary of Sarmiento is formed, an inventory carried out by Augusto Belin Sarmiento, detailing the enormous collection that today forms part of the collection of the current Sarmiento Historical Museum.

In 1913, through the efforts of Dr. Joaquín V. González, at that time National Legislator, interest in the formation of the museum was resumed. González requested that the collections be safeguarded and passed to the National State. The collection was placed in the deposits of the National Historical Museum. Initially, a building adjoining the MHN was projected to exhibit the MHS collections, based on donations made by his grandson and executor Belin Sarmiento. Only in 1929, the Director of the MHN, Antonio Dellepiane, set aside a room for the exhibition of part of the so-called "relics" of Sarmiento.

Already in 1938, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Sarmiento's death, the steps for the definitive establishment of the museum were resumed. That is why on July 28, during the presidency of Dr. Roberto Ortiz, a regulatory decree of Law No. 8109 was issued. Through this decree, its installation was managed through the National Commission of Museums and Historical Monuments and of the National Commission of Tribute to Sarmiento, whose Presidency was in charge of Dr. Ricardo Levene.

That same year, Law No. 12,556 was passed ratifying the provisions of the decree creating the Museum. The sum of one hundred thousand pesos in national currency was authorized for the acquisition of new collections referring to Sarmiento so that they would become part of the institution's patrimony.

The Sarmiento Historical Museum was inaugurated on September 11, 1938, initially it depended on the National Commission of Museums and Monuments and its first director was Ismael Bucich Escobar.