The Banco de la República Cultural Center in Medellin, located in the center of the city, is a space for research, circulation of economic culture, and the recovery, preservation, analysis, study, and sharing of Colombian cultural heritage. In addition to providing access to the entire catalogue of the Banco de la República’s Library Network, the vocational component of the center is directed to the philatelic collections and the collections in the Economic Documentation Center. The philatelic collection promotes knowledge of diverse sociocultural manifestations and the wealth of the nation, reflected in the different issues of stamps in Colombia and the world. Similarly, the Economic Documentation Center promotes research through content produced in or about the region. It offers physical publications in economics and offers valuable and updated electronic resources with quick and efficient information retrieval.
Cultural programming is defined by the services and collections of the Library Network's bibliographic collection, that of the Regional Documentation Center, the philatelic collection, and the visual arts and music sections. Thus, the population of Medellín can enjoy art and archeology exhibitions with works from the Banco de la República Art Collection and the Gold Museum, the National Concert Season, publications and special collections on economics, special philatelic exhibitions, and all the technical and research capacity that characterizes Banco de la República’s Cultural Network.
History
Banco de la República began its activities in the city of Medellín in a storefront of the Mejía & Company building, located on the eastern side of the Berrío Park (on Carrera Palacé), south of the Temple of Our Lady of Candelaria. The central bank’s agency—later a branch—occupied most of the space in the building, built between 1905 and 1909 by Horacio Marino Rodríguez.
During the first part of the 1940s, the need for a larger and more modern building became apparent, and studies were commissioned from the local firm H. M. Rodríguez y Rejos, who drew up the preliminary plans under the direction of architect Alfredo Rodríguez Orgaz, the bank’s advisor. Construction was contracted with the firm Ingeniería y Construcciones S.A., which would execute the work through a delegated administration system. Construction took place from the fourth quarter of 1945 to the first quarter of 1948.
In the 1960s, the construction of a new monumental building was envisioned, and for this purpose all the houses and lots of the southern block of the Berrío Park (Calles Colombia and Ayacucho, and Carreras Palacé Bolívar) were acquired, which at that time were the oldest buildings in the park (two-story houses with wrap-around balconies). The first project for the building proposed a complete remodeling of the area, including the park, the most traditional in the city, and the subterraneous reconstruction of Calle Colombia. The park would have had underground parking and shopping centers and a band shell would have been placed in the back corner of the building (Palacé to Ayacucho). This enormous project was not carried out, apparently because of misunderstandings between the central bank and the municipality, which delayed the project for many years. (It is worth noting that in the early 1960s, the block was demolished and fenced.)
Finally, when the original plan was abandoned, and in view of the need to create a front proportional to the building’s volume, the project was changed and fountains were designed (Calle Colombia), all of which led to changes in the location of the parking lots, machine rooms, and other spaces, and also removed the band shell from the design.
The design of the new and current building was the work of the architect Álvaro Cárdenas, a Banco de la República employee, and construction was carried out by the Fajardo Vélez firm in Medellín. After many years of work, the building was inaugurated on August 4, 1974.
