ROSARIO

Old Customs Office

In the intersection of “Bajada Sargento Cabral” and “Avenida Belgrano,” minutes away from the Paraná River, the magnificent building of the Old Customs Office, with a typically French façade, constitutes, together with the “Fuente de las Utopías” (Fountain of Utopias), one of Rosario’s distinctive.

The Old Customs Office-which today houses municipal government offices-was inaugurated in 1938, based on a project by engineers Ochoa and Thomas. The design of this imposing building is heavily influenced by French architecture. Its façade includes projections flanked by pilasters with Ionic capitals and a sound base that counters the unevenness of this riverside area. The first-floor windows are crowned by segmental arches and the second-floor windows by semicircular ones. The picturesque triple-height entrance hall includes a skylight. 

“Fuente de las Utopías” (Fountain of Utopias) 
Next to the Old Customs Office, there is the “Fuente de las Utopías,” which used to stand in the “Parque de la Independencia” (Independence Park), former site of the Rural Society, and was inaugurated in late 2004. It was sculpted by Carlos Righetti, one of the first plaster craftsmen in Rosario, who also decorated the façades of the Jockey Club (Maipú & Córdoba) and the School of Medicine of the National University of Rosario (Santa Fe & Francia).