The Great Deposit
The history of its construction and the reason for its location.
In period photographs, part of the original water supply system, running from the River Plate to the Recoleta Plant, can be seen.
In period photographs, part of the original water supply system, running from the River Plate to the Recoleta Plant, can be seen.
In period photographs, part of the original water supply system, running from the River Plate to the Recoleta Plant, can be seen.
Historical models which demonstrate the altitude of the Palace's location.
A set of drawings to different scales from the architectural project: floor plans, sections, elevations, and details.
A set of drawings to different scales from the architectural project: floor plans, sections, elevations, and details.
A set of drawings to different scales from the architectural project: floor plans, sections, elevations, and details.
A set of drawings to different scales from the architectural project: floor plans, sections, elevations, and details.
You will learn about the origins of the Palace through plans and topographic models of the City that help explain its construction and the reasons for its current location.
Additionally, through period photographs, you will see the old water supply system that began at the Río de la Plata and continued at the country's first purification facility: the Recoleta Facility.
In this room, you'll also find a sample of some of the terracotta pieces imported from Great Britain that were used to cover the Palace's façade.
The pieces on display are original; they arrived to be used as replacements.
The Buenos Aires sanitary underground
Through a scale model, you can discover the shape of the first drainage system in Buenos Aires. This model shows the so-called "English Drainage System" used in the area known as Radio Antiguo to drain sewage and stormwater.
Sanitary fixtures, materials and accessories
Over time, the Palace or Great Depot housed various functions. One of these was the Contrast Office -created in September 1887- designed to control the quality of devices and other sanitary materials -manufactured abroad or in the country- that were intended to be sold in Spain. To obtain such approval, the manufacturer had to submit three pieces to the Office, one of which remained in the materials depot.
National and imported faucets
Production models from one of Argentina's oldest tap and fittings factories, "Piazza Hnos.".
Production models from one of Argentina's oldest tap and fittings factories, "Piazza Hnos.".
Production models from one of Argentina's oldest tap and fittings factories, "Piazza Hnos.".
“La Rural” signifies the valuable contribution of immigrants to the birth and development of the national sanitaryware industry.
Model submitted by an OSN technician in the OSN competitions for the improvement of tap shut-off valves, 1932.
In addition to fixtures and pipes, Obras Sanitarias de la Nación's control extended to faucets and accessories commonly used in bathrooms and kitchens. Through competitions aimed at perfecting the performance of national sanitary faucets, OSN promoted the improvement of existing manufacturing and quality standards.
Vitrified terracotta pipes imported from Great Britain in the late 19th century.
Vitrified terracotta pipes imported from Great Britain in the late 19th century.
Vitrified terracotta pipes imported from Great Britain in the late 19th century.
Advertisements from foreign and domestic firms manufacturing sanitary pipework.
Advertisements from foreign and domestic firms manufacturing sanitary pipework.
Advertisements from foreign and domestic firms manufacturing sanitary pipework.
From the beginning of the hygiene and sanitation works in 1869 and throughout the first decades of the 20th century, most of the materials used were imported. All of these materials, along with those manufactured domestically, had to undergo inspections by the Office of Contrast to determine the quality of the materials used in the residential works.
A collection of meters. The top one, which is larger in size, dates from 1889 and was manufactured by the firm G. Kent Ltd. of London.
Controlling water consumption through meters was, practically from the very beginning of the water supply system, one of the authorities' main concerns. The first water supply regulation of 1869 stipulated the installation of meters in homes and establishments.
Starting in October 1941, meters bearing the OSN brand began to be manufactured at the Varela Workshops. Until then, this product was imported.
Sanitary appliances, national and imported
A historic repository of fittings, with the specimens submitted for approval.
A historic repository of fittings, with the specimens submitted for approval.
Each trademark was registered at the Office by hand, executed by skilled draftsmen.
Certificate of Approval issued by OSN to manufacturers of fittings, accessories, and other sanitaryware components.
Bowls or basins of glazed ceramic, from the late 19th century. They were used in communal latrines.
Mobile bidet, of enamelled iron, c. 1910.
Models of toilets, decorated and with various flushing systems.
“Slop sink” or waste sink, designed for the disposal of clinical waste, was in common use in hospitals and health resorts.
A fixture combining a basin and toilet into a single unit, constructed from aluminium alloy. Used in prisons circa 1969.
A cast iron toilet cistern, clad in moulded wood.
A cast iron toilet cistern, domestically produced.
A cast iron toilet cistern, domestically produced.
Trademarks for sanitaryware, mostly imported, held in the Water Museum's collection of fittings.
Trademarks for sanitaryware, mostly imported, held in the Water Museum's collection of fittings.
Trademarks for sanitaryware, mostly imported, held in the Water Museum's collection of fittings.
One of the collections that will surprise you most is the set of artifacts used from the late 19th century until approximately the 1970s, which belonged to the examples that were to remain in storage at the Hallmark Office. Most of these are toilets from Great Britain and the United States, and to a lesser extent, those manufactured in the country. The latter only began to be submitted to the Hallmark Office for approval in the late 1930s.
