Costa Rica

The Presidential house is the nerve center of the Executive Power of the nation and its spacious modern rooms have seen different politicians and Costa Rican statesmen pass through them; men who had vow to continually strengthen and improve democratic institutions, which make Costa Rica a noteworthy example in the eyes of the world. Throughout the institutional history of the country, the executive Power has occupied only three buildings, as the demands for space and infrastructure grew with the increasing development of the nation.

This theater is devoted to the memory of the great Costa Rica tenor whose performances in the New York City Music Hall and the Scala in Milan (to mention only two of his world venues), showed the world the artistic potential of this Costa Rica personality. The theater is the forum for traditional culture in the country and is complemented by numerous theater halls, art galleries (both public and private) which offer permanent exhibitions of its collections to the people of Costa Rica and more particularly to the city dwellers.

Built in 1890 in the purest and the most classical Renaissance style, this temple of culture of Costa Rica is situated in the heart of the capital. Its stage has hosted most of the great theater companies of the world which have visited Latin America, as well as famous musicians, artists and classical music orchestras. A century after being built, the theater is still very carefully preserved. For this purpose, it has its own workshop of national stonemasons, some of whom are direct descendents of the original masons who built it. This pride of Costa Rica has been added to by the annexing of the Plaza de la Cultura (Culture square) with its own art galleries and cultural conference halls. Its broad modern style provides an attractive contrast to the Classical features of the National Theater.