Palacio de López

The Palacio de López is a monumental neoclassical building begun in 1857 as the private residence of General Francisco Solano López, eldest son of then-president Carlos Antonio López. The first plans were drawn up by Hungarian engineer Francisco Wisner de Morgenstern, and the works were carried out under the direction of English architect Alonso Taylor. Building materials were sourced from various parts of the country: stone from Emboscada and Altos, timber and tiles from Ñeembucú and Yaguarón, bricks from Tacumbú, and iron from Ybycuí.

The building was almost finished in 1867 when the War of the Triple Alliance broke out; Francisco Solano López never came to live in it, since he left for the battlefront, and the building was bombarded and looted by the Brazilian and Argentine forces that occupied Asunción in 1869. During the government of Juan Gualberto González (1890-1894), the palace was restored and declared national heritage, becoming the seat of the Executive branch; Juan Bautista Egusquiza was the first head of state to establish his office and residence there. Since 1942, by decree of President Higinio Morínigo, the palace stopped being used as a presidential residence and became exclusively the working seat of the Executive branch.

The building, with a U-shaped floor plan, two main floors, and a four-level tower flying the national flag, is listed as a heritage asset of the city of Asunción under Ordinance 35/96 and is recognized by the Pan American Federation of Architects' Associations (FPAA) as a Treasure of Asunción's Material Cultural Heritage. It is not a museum open to the public; it can be admired from the outside, alongside Asunción Bay.