Is The Water Palace in Buenos Aires Worth a visit?

As we travel, we always keep an eye out for intriguing sights. Some of these are well-known, frequently appearing on “Top Ten” lists of tourist attractions. Others, however, are lesser-known gems. The Palacio de Aguas Corrientes (“Palace of Running Waters“) in Buenos Aires is one of those lesser known treasure that we found utterly fascinating – though it is off the beaten path, so it’s possible to not even know it’s there. We discovered the building while out on one of our strolls to explore where we would be living for the next two months and wondered “what is that!”

This remarkable building, completed in 1894, was originally constructed to house massive water tanks(!) and served as the city’s water pumping station until 1978. Today, it hosts the Museo del Agua y de la Historia Sanitaria (Museum of Water and Sanitation History) and serves as the administrative offices for Argentine Water and Sanitation (AySA) – so you’ll see a lot of folks wandering in and out of the main lobby area.

A Stunning Architectural Marvel

This is a pretty impressive building by most standards. Completed in 1894, the building impossible to ignore exterior features over 300,000 decorative tiles and glazed bricks. The building occupies a full city block making it difficult to miss.

Even if you don’t venture inside, the building’s ornate exterior—is reason enough to visit. Walking around its full city block to admire the craftsmanship makes it a must-see for architecture lovers. Among the details are escutcheons representing Argentina’s 14 provinces, nestled within the colorful ceramic designs—see if you can spot them all.

Inside the lobby and museum, you’ll find displays featuring examples of the decorative tiles (majolicas) used on the building’s façade. These exhibits highlight the craftsmanship that went into creating this architectural masterpiece.

Exploring the Museum

All manner of plumbing fixtures and fittings are on display here. From taps and faucets to industrial fittings used in the municipal water system and including sinks, tubs and toilets. One display room—visible only through glass—features dozens of porcelain thrones. The main gallery includes smaller displays that delve into the mechanics of plumbing systems.

For those curious about how water infrastructure works, there are cutaway models showing the inner workings of plumbing fixtures and parts. Water and sanitation are core infrastructure to support a healthy and prosperous city but not things that are given much thought by the population at large. It’s generally expected that you open a tap or flush a toilet and water flows; how it got there – and what happens to it when you’re done using it – is actually pretty interesting once you look into it.

The machinery required to keep water flowing to city residents and maintain the system is included in the exhibits housed in what used to be holding tanks. This area of the museum documents this history of water and sewer management efforts in and around Buenos Aires.

It’s a large open space full of pipes going all directions. There are video displays in a couple of areas but my Spanish isn’t good enough to tell you what any of them were about.

Practical Information

• The museum is open Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
• Admission is free, but it’s wise to check for holiday before planning your visit.
• Tours are available but we saw no mention of language or translation options.
• The display placards are not translated so you’ll need to be able to bluff your way through reading Spanish or use Google Translate freely. (We found this to be the case in most of the smaller (and even some of the larger) museums in Argentina and Chile. They aren’t designed to cater to US tourists.)
• The museum is located on the third floor of the building, with elevators for accessibility.

So, is it worth a visit?

Whether you’re drawn by its stunning architecture or intrigued by its historical exhibits, the Palacio de Aguas Corrientes is well worth an hour of your time during a visit to Buenos Aires.