Devoto Palacio [1900s-1950s]

Description: This handmade envelope contains one stationary envelope and loose material such as: newspapers’ and magazines’ clippings and articles, photos, and engravings. These documents inform us about the Devoto Palace and the Villa Devoto Asilo Infantil (or Children's Asylum). It was started to be built in 1913 by order of Don Antonio Devoto and Doña Elina Pombo, his second wife. Doña Elina ordered the palace’s magnificence and luxury; and because of her expensive tastes the press sometimes called her Countess Pombo. Actually, only her husband, Antonio, received the title of Count in 1916 because of his help to the Italian immigrants in Argentina. For the palace, expensive materials were imported from Europe. Rumour has it that the Italian King Vittorio Emmanuele II was going to live in this majestic building. So much so that nobody knew what to do with it after Don Antonio’s and Doña Elina’s deaths in 1916 and 1923 respectively. It was finally demolished in the 1940s. See, Costa, Susana, “Derribando mitos. El palacio Devoto,” in http://www.devotohistoria.com.ar/DerribandoMitosElPalacioDevoto.htm Extent of original: Handmade envelope . Condition of original: Regular to bad condition.