The origin of the Palace of Running Waters, as its name suggests, is closely linked to the history of water in Buenos Aires. Back in the 1870s, the city was facing severe cholera and yellow fever epidemics, and there was a pressing need for clean or "filtered" water, as it was called at the time. So, what did the authorities do? They turned to what was considered the best water supply system in the world at the time: sanitary engineering.

In 1871, the government commissioned the design of a comprehensive water, sewer, and storm drainage system for the entire city. This system needed a heart—one capable of holding millions of liters of water—and this very building, in this specific location, was chosen to fulfill that role.

Under this system, water was drawn from the Río de la Plata and purified in Recoleta, where the National Museum of Fine Arts now stands. That very building housed the pumping station that sent the already filtered water from Recoleta to this Palace. Despite the building’s majestic, palatial appearance, what it holds inside is a massive distribution reservoir. And because we are situated on relatively high ground, once the water was stored here, gravity allowed it to flow down to the rest of the city.

The construction of this building was truly remarkable. It was conceived as a model to be assembled piece by piece. For its exterior, 300,000 enameled tiles were imported from England to cover its four facades. And for the interior, one of the largest iron tank structures in the world at that time was shipped from Europe.

Construction began in 1887 and was completed seven years later, in 1894. Over those seven years, 400 workers assembled the structure, piece by piece and material by material. Imagine this elegant neighborhood—then on the outskirts of the city—watching such a massive structure rise. At first, local residents sent complaints to the authorities, upset that the tranquility of their peaceful neighborhood had been disturbed. But those complaints gradually stopped as the magnificent multicolored terracotta facade took shape, revealing the Palace in all its splendor.