You might not know it from the outside, what with the loud, yellow paint job, but Angola’s Palácio de Ferro (Iron Palace) is made almost entirely of iron, and if the rumor is to be believed, it was the work of Gustav Eiffel.
The true origin of the two-story building now known as the Iron Palace may be lost to time, but its arrival in Angola seems to have been just plain bad luck. Built some time in the late 1800s, the metal edifice is thought to have shown up on the Skeleton Coast after the ship carrying its prebuilt parts drifted off course and was claimed by Portuguese authorities. While there is no official record, it is believed that the building had been designed and built in Paris by the same man who created the Eiffel Tower.
At first the building was used as a cultural center, but eventually it was abandoned and began to rust away in the humid air. For decades, the palace was neglected and began to deteriorate. However the building was revamped and repaired in the 2010s with the help of a diamond company as well as municipal funds, reopening its doors to visitors in 2016.
But the work isn’t done yet, as no one has yet decided how the building is to be used. The two options on the table now are for the building to be used as a diamond museum or as a huge restaurant. Either way, we might never truly know whether we have Gustav Eiffel to thank.
Palácio de Ferro (English: Iron Palace) is a historical building in the Angolan capital Luanda, believed to have been designed and built by – or by someone associated with – Gustave Eiffel, builder of the world-famous icons, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Statue of Liberty in New York City.
The history of the structure is shrouded in mystery since no official record of it exists. It is believed to have been pre-built in the 1890s in France and was destined to be placed in Madagascar via boat. Instead, the building ended-up in Angola’s Skeleton Coast after the ship carrying it was drifted by the notorious Benguela currents. Portuguese rulers of the colony then claimed the ship along with all its contents, including the palace.
During the Portuguese era, the building had a great deal of prestige and it was used as an art center. But after the independence of Angola, the palace was left in neglect with its surrounding area eventually ending up as a parking lot. It was also heavily damaged during the Angolan Civil War leaving some of its structures in a rusted and rotting condition.
Currently, the building is undergoing a renovation funded by profits from Angola’s oil boom with the help of Brazilian construction companies, as many of the reclaimed iron balustrades and floor tiles were individually renovated in Rio de Janeiro.
It now stands as the symbol of the city’s rebirth as well as a point of social reference for the future. The Ministry of Culture of Angola is still deciding whether the building is to become a diamond museum or a restaurant.
