Description of the attraction
The Regional Museum of Magallanes is located in the historic center of Punta Arenas. The building, which now houses the museum, the Brown Menendez Palace, was built in the neoclassical style by the French architect Antoine Bully in 1903. The owners of the palace were Maurice Brown and his wife Josephine Menendez, whose ancestors, at one time, enriched themselves in Patagonia. They invested the resulting wealth in the construction of large residential buildings, which today are the architectural heritage of Chile.
The building has two entrances and is surrounded by a large garden with cypresses, apple trees, cherries, yews, rowan trees and conifers and shrubs. Bricks and tiles were imported from Uruguay, carpets from France, marble from Italy, and timber from Belgium. All antique furnishings were purchased in London and Paris. This luxurious residence of 2212 sq.m. European comfort and luxury reigned with two floors, an observation tower, an elevator, hot water, central heating, electricity and telephone connections.
Enrique Campos Menendez, using his position as head of the Directorate of Libraries, Archives and Museums of Chile, negotiated the donation of the family palace to the municipality of Punta Arenas in exchange for a complete reconstruction of the building, which was funded by the state. In addition, he wanted to preserve the history of his ancestors by opening a museum in his parents' house.
Since its inception in 1982, the museum has been administered by the Chilean Directorate of Libraries, Archives and Museums. It has a collection of about 1800 items from different eras - from the 16th to the 20th century.
Today the museum has three exhibition departments: Time, History and Life. The first section presents European furniture of various styles, from neoclassical to modern. The second section of the museum tells about the history of the city and the region, presents household items, maps, documents and photographs. The tour ends in the part of the museum where the servants of the house used to live. These rooms allow you to imagine the daily life of ordinary people.
The Regional Museum hosts temporary exhibitions of works by contemporary artists, sculptors and photographers. All exhibitions are open for general viewing throughout the year.
The building that housed the luxurious Brown Menendez residence was declared a Chilean National Monument in 1974.
