| Venetian Palace | |
|---|---|
Palacio Veneciano | |
 | |
 Interactive map of the Venetian Palace area | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical,Venetian-inspired |
| Location | Historic Centre of Lima |
TheVenetian Palace (Spanish:Palacio Veneciano), also known as theCasa Concha orCasa Concha Astete,[1] was a palace in thehistoric centre ofLima District. The building, inspired by theDoge's Palace ofVenice and located in the vicinity of thePuente de Piedra and theGovernment Palace, was ultimately demolished by the military government ofManuel A. Odría.[2][1]
TheNeoclassical palace was built during the 19th century in what was then Polvos Azules street (Spanish:Calle de los Polvos Azules), the property of the Vega del Ren noble family.[3] The owner of the property also owned more land across theRímac river.[2][1]
The building'sVenetian-inspired posterior façade, which faced the river, was part of thePort of Lima, a project that intended tochannelise the river in a similar fashion to theItalian city's waterways.[4] The project was ultimately abandoned.
An underground tunnel that was part of the property passed under the river, ending in a house among the street, where a large amount ofgold coins were found by its owner, a man with the last name of Barbieri, who hid his treasure by claiming to have found success in theoil industry. Mr. Barbieri later bought and restored a property owned by the Villar de la Fuente countship located in Piedra St. which later served as the headquarters of the Board of Lima (Spanish:Patronato de Lima).[2]
News of the treasure reached the military government of the time, who unsuccessfully intimidated the owner of both properties into demolishing the property. As a result, he was jailed underconspiracy charges it was expropriated and what was left of the treasure looted.[2] The building's demolition was realised under the pretext that the area would serve as apromenade next to the river. However, such plans did not take place, and the area served first as aparking lot and later as astreet market.[4]
The area in which the building was once located is now theAlameda Chabuca Granda.[1]
