Palace of Karondela

The history of this building, built in colonial times, began in 1570 , with the acquisition of a complex of former royal houses located in the city of Quito .

The first residence of the Spanish crown in the administration of Quito was a building near the monastery of La Merced, until 1611 , after the death of secretary Diego Suarez de Figueroa, who owns a small palace built on the main square (Plaza Grande). Then, Juan Fernandez de Recalde, president of the administration, informed the king that the large and comfortable building was completed and bought for the Spanish administration in Quito.

Some time later, President Recalde’s successor, Antonio de Morga, informed the king that the old royal houses had been demolished since they were very old and offered to buy neighboring houses. The earthquake of 1627 forced them to buy neighboring buildings of stone and brick. Thus, the administration settled in front of the Plaza Grande.

In 1799, Baron Francisco Luis Hector de Carondelet was appointed chairman of the meeting. In 1801, under the direction of Antonio García, work began on the reconstruction of the palace, cathedral and prison building.

In 1822 , after the battle of Pichincha, Ecuador gained independence, and the palace became the headquarters of the Southern Department of Greater Columbia . Simon Bolivar admiring the elegance and rigor of the building gave him the name Carondelet, in honor of the baron customer.

Almost all the presidents of the republic used this building as a residence.

Over the years, the palace was rebuilt several times, most actively during the presidency of Gabriel Garcia Moreno , Camilo Ponce Enriques and Sisto Duran Ballena. In 1865, President Gabriel Garcia Moreno ordered a clock with a bell to be installed on the central pediment of the facade. Since 1875 , the presidents no longer lived in the palace, since Garcia Moreno himself lived in a private house located in the Plaza de Santo Domingo. On August 6, 1875, the palace became the scene of one of the bloodiest chapters in its history - the assassination of President Gabriel Garcia Moreno. When he entered the palace on the south stairs, a group of conspirators hiding between the columns attacked him with pistols and a machete. Garcia Moreno was seriously injured and died an hour later at the foot of the altar of the cathedral.

At the beginning of the 20th century, electric lighting, a telephone and a telegraph were conducted into the palace.

According to El Palacio de Carondelet, published by the Office of President Sisto Duran Ballen, the old colonial building was completely destroyed during the 1956 reconstruction by President Camilo Ponce Henriques. Only the brick facade has survived, with a modern reinforced concrete building adjoining it. Even the columns of the main facade, originally made of brick, were replaced by stone ones. Unlike similar restoration processes at the Belomgo House in Washington or Downing Street in London, the initial state of the palace was not taken into account, so the individual rooms are completely modern and are not consistent with the time the palace was created.

On September 1, 1975, a group of soldiers led by General Raul González Alvear rebelled against the dictator Guillermo Rodríguez Lara, who had ruled the country since February 1972, and although he was not in the palace, his facade was seriously damaged. Several people were killed and injured on both sides.

On February 5, 1997, protest marches reached the palace, which resulted in a coup against President Abdala Bukaram. Bucaram was evacuated in an ambulance by the presidential guard and fled to Panama .

On January 21, 2000, during a coup against Hamil Mauad, the palace was also besieged by protesters, but Mauad was not there, and the rebels formed a junta, led by Lucio Gutierrez , who overthrew the president for several hours.

On April 20, 2005, another coup took place, this time with the goal of overthrowing President Lucio Gutierrez. Protesters besieged the Government Palace, and Gutierrez was forced to flee aboard a helicopter that landed on the terrace of the president’s residence and flew into Quito airport. When the crowd attacked the airport, Gutierrez had to take refuge in the Brazilian embassy.

During the events of September 30, 2010 , when rebel police officers abducted President Rafael Correa , thousands of government supporters waited for him to return to the palace, where he arrived after he was led by the army that night. Correa from the balcony welcomed thousands of supporters.

Stone facade crowned with triangular pediments. The second part of the facade with a stone colonnade, facing the square. Twenty Doric columns made of stone (were made of brick). Two wide staircases lead to the gallery. The main staircase is the northern one, on its half there is a ramp for the disabled. The third side is a large terrace, on the sides are two blocks of windows. The fourth part is a clock with a bell installed by order of President Garcia Moreno in 1865 , and two pediments decorated with the coat of arms of the Republic of Ecuador surrounded by guns.

The main material for the design of the palace is wood. Dozens of different types of valuable breeds were used on the floor and ceiling, and of course in antique furniture.

Porch and doors lead into a wide corridor, decorated with a colonnade of stone. The president of Ecuador traditionally goes here to greet people.

Between the columns, the wrought iron railings from the Tuileries Palace , destroyed during the Paris Commune , were put up for sale and bought by Antonio Flores Gijon, the representative of Ecuador in France, on the orders of President Gabriel García Moreno .

There are also several plates in the corridor reminiscent of historical events of the past, such as the visit of Simon Bolivar , the centenary of the Battle of Pichincha, the assassination of Gabriel Garcia Moreno , the visit of John Paul II .

The corridor is closed by two wooden doors. On the eastern wall is a bronze coat of arms of Ecuador . The floor is made of gray stone, andesite, and three arches of wrought iron gates.

Corridors and stairs are located symmetrically. The south wing on the ground floor is used for the office of the president, the secretariat, and others. The north wing is occupied by the press center, the blue room, the offices of secretaries, the military command and the security service of the President. On the ground floor is a portrait of Antonio Jose de Sucre .

After the wrought iron gates of the hall there follows a short corridor, and then a ladder of honor, surrounded by elegant wrought iron railings, with two lanterns. A staircase leads to the second floor of the palace, in the middle making a platform on which one of the central works of the palace is located: a large panel of Ecuador, works by Osvaldo Guayasamin. This work was done in 1957 by order of the Secretary of the Latin American Conference on the opening of the Amazon River. The panel is made in the form of a triptych, with a base of marble. It took seven years to work.

Here is the presidential administration, cabinet, yellow room, banquet hall. After the platform with the panel, the staircase converges in the hall with marble floors. Further down the corridor is the first office, with a carved wooden door. Two carved wooden columns complete the entrance to the second floor.

The first office is located opposite a large balcony. Here the president takes over the government. In the center is a large dark wood table from the colonial era, with 19th century chairs richly decorated with carvings by Italian artist Juan Bautista Mingetti, commissioned by President Luis Cordero.

The ceiling is covered with simple dark wood panels with carved colors. Two crystal Peruvian chandeliers and European sconces. Under the table is a large carpet commissioned by President Rafael Correa. Near the podium is the flag of Ecuador. . The office of the president’s secretary is decorated with wooden skirting boards and several paintings. A visit to the office is not included in the tour of the palace.

The banquet hall hosts meetings between foreign delegations, breakfasts, lunches and dinners of the heads of state, graduation parties, press conferences. There are two doors at the western end: the left leads to the yellow room, and the right leads to the office leading to the kitchen. From the eastern part, a large arch covered with a heavy curtain of silk leads to the oratorio. In 2007, the floors were covered with wooden parquet, from the forests of the province of Esmeraldas , French silk curtains hung on the walls. Three ceiling chandeliers, as well as several small wall lights. Here stands a 19th century piano that belonged to Marietta Weintemille. The walls are decorated with large rock crystal mirrors, oil paintings, several Ecuadorian artists, including portraits of Antonio José de Sucre , Manuela Sáenz , and the first president of the republic, General Juan José Flores .

The oratorio was created under President Sisto Duran Balien at the request of his wife. On the central wall, framed by two large windows, is a small cedar wood altar and covered with baroque gold leaf. The furniture is carved and velvet-covered chairs and sofas. Two ceramic glass lamps hang from the ceiling. The room is decorated with several images of various saints.

Yellow room. Lined with yellow velvet panels. In this room are portraits of all the presidents of the Republic of Ecuador since 1830 , in ceremonial costumes. The interior was designed by the Tejad brothers, and inlaid with a cedar framed with gold. Two large chandeliers were brought from Europe. Sculptures of women, allegories of freedom and knowledge complement the interior. Furniture, including chairs and armchairs, is upholstered in delicate floral fabric. Currently, this building is used by the president to formally introduce new ministers, secretaries, governors and other officials. Also, new ambassadors from other countries present their credentials to the president and sign international treaties.

The cabinet of Manuela Saens is located in front of the second floor of the south wing of the palace. A small room where visitors can expect an audience with the president, but is also used for meetings with senior officials of other countries. The room below is decorated with wood paneling, and the top is bright wallpaper. Plaster stucco molding of white color with golden accents. A ceiling lamp on a wall of Peruvian origin and hangs above the center of the room. Portraits of Simon Bolivar , Manuela Saens , Antonio José de Sucre and Eugenio Espeio, next to a bronze statue of Marshal Ayacucho, with a bullet hole in the back, as a reminder of the 1975 military coup. This room also houses the former 19th-century presidential desk, which houses a small bust of Eloy Alfaro .

The president’s office is located on the southeast corner of the second floor of the palace. Through the side door, there is access to the balcony. Under President Rafael Correa, the office was completely renovated in a simple but modern style, in particular, video conferencing equipment was installed. The doors leading to the president’s office are guarded by two grenadiers.

On the north side there is a small elevator leading to the third floor, where the presidential residence is located. The corridor leading to the elevator is decorated with a portrait of Baron Carondedet.

The residence was built during the third term of Jose Maria Velasco Ibarra , who settled there with his wife. Large apartment with classic furniture, but the middle of the XX century, a piano. There is a dining room where the president can arrange private lunches or dinners for his guests. The tableware is decorated with the golden emblems of Ecuador, while on the dressers there are dishes with old emblems.

Several bedrooms, a kitchen and a terrace complete the presidential residence, decorated with works of art from the collection of the Central Bank of Ecuador. The current president, Rafael Correa, does not live permanently in the residence.

Rafael Correa , president since 2007 , given that the Palace of Carondelet is a national heritage, he decided to transform the presidential complex into a museum accessible to everyone who wants to visit it.

To this end, a plan was developed to bring the palace and its interiors into proper shape, which took into account the new location of the interior in its cultural context.

This work was entrusted to Maria del Carmen Molestine, researcher, Ph.D. at the Museum of Archeology and former director of the Central Bank of Ecuador. She took an inventory and planned out places for all exhibits of the future museum, for example, gifts to the president. In addition, found objects and antique furniture were declared cultural property.

Under this system, it is currently possible to include gifts to the president in museum exhibits, both of cultural, historical or ethnographic value, as well as all objects that represent and embody the habits and traditions of various ethnic groups in Ecuador.

According to the researcher, Maria del Carmen of Molestina, for many years the palace was intensively plundered. Most of the furniture and objects that can be seen in the palace today - new, even bronze furniture pieces from the time of Garcia Moreno, were replaced with gold-plated lead copies.

The investigation of Molestin is currently aimed at determining the time of the beginning of the robberies. During the presidency of Camilo Ponce Enriquez (1956-1960) and before the presidency of Leon Febres-Cordero (1984-1988), everything was as it should have been in the palace. After this period, there is no information about the fate of most of the things from the presidential palace. Molestina believes the abductions began before the presidency of Rodrigo Borja (1988-1992), and after him, President Sisto Duran Ballen (1992-1996) ordered the construction of a new presidential suite on the third floor of the palace.

• President’s official website