Sarmiento House in the Tigre Delta, Buenos Aires Province

Historic buildingBuenos Aires & surroundings

Sarmiento House, a president's retreat in the Delta

The Sarmiento House (Casa Museo Sarmiento) is a museum and library on the Sarmiento River in Tigre, Buenos Aires Province. It was the home of President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento in the Paraná Delta and is now a national historic monument: a different day out among the hidden gems near Buenos Aires.

Sarmiento named his island Prócida, after the Italian island off Naples, and called his bridge Rialto, like the one in Venice. His wooden house in the Delta still stands and is now a museum.

WhereOn the Sarmiento River, in Tigre, Paraná Delta, Buenos Aires Province

Type19th-century wooden historic house, now a museum and library

Best forArgentine history, island architecture and trips to the Tigre Delta

Getting thereIn the Tigre Delta, north of Greater Buenos Aires; reached by water

The history of the Sarmiento House

The house was built in 1855 by Federico Álvarez de Toledo, a landowner from Buenos Aires who was a close friend of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. The two shared political ideas and a common vision for the country's future, and, as opponents of the regime of Juan Manuel de Rosas, both had gone into exile in Chile, where their friendship grew.

Álvarez de Toledo, who owned the island at Tigre, gave the property to his friend when he learned that Sarmiento wanted a house in the Paraná Delta. The sources differ on the exact year in which Sarmiento received it, but agree that he lived there until his death in 1888. He named his island Prócida, after the small island off Naples, and built on it a bridge he called Rialto, like the one in Venice.

The house is a small wooden building with a tiled roof. The ground floor was open and the upper floor held its only room; the walls, made of prefabricated boards, reveal a more elaborate architecture than appears at first glance. Sarmiento always defended wooden houses: nearly thirty years later he was still repeating the phrase neither stone nor bricks in an 1885 article, Arquitectura y paisajes isleños.

For more than three decades he was also a point of reference for his neighbours in the Delta, advising on the building of other houses and on the everyday problems of island life. According to the sources, in 1855 he planted the first stick of wicker, the origin of an activity that most islanders still live from, and he brought back the first pecan seeds from one of his trips to the United States, today the typical nut of the Delta.

After Sarmiento's death, Carlos Delcasse bought the house and donated it to a public-interest institution, which passed it to the National Education Council. In 1966 it was declared a National Historic Monument and in 1989 a Provincial Historic Monument. In 1996 its custody passed to the Municipality of Tigre, which protects it from the weather with a glass covering.

Curious facts about the Sarmiento House

Sarmiento named his island Prócida, after the Italian island off Naples, and the bridge he built Rialto, like the one in Venice.
The house began as a gift from a friend: the landowner Federico Álvarez de Toledo, with whom Sarmiento shared exile in Chile.
Its walls are made of prefabricated boards, a more sophisticated solution than its simple look suggests.
According to the sources, Sarmiento planted the Delta's first wicker stick in 1855 and brought the first pecan seeds from the United States.
In 1885 he wrote the article Arquitectura y paisajes isleños, summing up his idea of Delta houses with the phrase neither stone nor bricks.
Today the house is protected from the weather by a glass covering, since its custody passed to the Municipality of Tigre in 1996.

Tours near Sarmiento House

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

Empanada Cooking Class in Buenos Aires

★ 5 (135 reviews) · 3.5 h

See details ›

Buenos Aires: 7-Course Argentine Asado & Live Music

★ 5 (103 reviews) · 3 h

See details ›

Buenos Aires: Take a Mate Break in 45 Minutes

★ 5 (84 reviews) · 45 min

See details ›

Customized Tigre Delta Tour lunch and drink included

★ 4.9 (76 reviews) · 3 h

See details ›

Visiting the Sarmiento House

The house works as a museum and library; check the current opening days and hours before you go.
It stands in the Tigre Delta on the Sarmiento River, so the trip is often combined with a boat ride along the channels.
Next to the house is an old school; photos of the site show a library in that neighbouring building.
The sources consulted do not detail how the visit inside is organised.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Sarmiento House is

Photos of Sarmiento House

Library in the school next to the Sarmiento House

View of Sarmiento's house and its surroundings

Questions

What is the Sarmiento House in Tigre?

It is the wooden house that belonged to Domingo Faustino Sarmiento in the Tigre Delta, now a museum and library. It has been a national historic monument since 1966.

Where is the Sarmiento House?

On the Sarmiento River, in Tigre, in the Paraná Delta, Buenos Aires Province.

Who built Sarmiento's house in the Delta?

It was built in 1855 by the landowner Federico Álvarez de Toledo, a friend of Sarmiento, who gave it to him.

Why is Sarmiento's island called Prócida?

Sarmiento named it after the small Italian island off Naples. He called the bridge he built Rialto, after the one in Venice.

What did Sarmiento contribute to life in the Delta?

According to the sources, he planted the first wicker stick in 1855 and brought the first pecan seeds from the United States. He also advised his neighbours on building houses.

Can you visit the Sarmiento House?

Yes, it works as a museum and library. Opening times change, so check them before you go.