The headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) is celebrating next week its 100 years of existence. With the sole objective of housing political dialogue, and the debate on peace promotion, unity and cooperation in different scopes of the hemispheric issues, in April of 1910 the House of the Americas was erected with the support of the Member States of what was then known as the Pan-American Union, the United States Congress and the Scottish-American Philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie.

Throughout the past 100 years, the House of the Americas has been the site of some of the most important political and economic events of the region. It has served as the center of operations and conference planning, seminars and meetings of the Member States. In the past 50 years, many of the presidents or prime ministers of the Americas have visited the Hall of the Americas to deliver speeches before representatives of other nations, and it has also been where many agreements and declarations that have impacted the lives of millions of citizens have been signed.

For example, in September 1977, the House of the Americas was where the Torrijos-Carter Treaties were signed, through which the United States gave Panama control of the Canal. This is considered one of the most significant political events of the past century. Likewise, on October 6, 1979, Pope John Paul II visited the building during a regular session in the Hall of the Americas, and later addressed thousands of people gathered in the Aztec Garden in honor of Latin American and Caribbean people.

The building’s centennial celebration takes place at a time when the continent insists on its efforts to strengthen democracy and make progress on development. It will be an opportunity to renew the OAS commitment to the principles of peace, democracy, justice and prosperity in the region. The ideal of contributing to the objective of collectively promoting security and cooperation is also present in the celebration. The long tradition of friendship among people of the region and respect for shared values is reflected in the rich structure of the organization's headquarters.

The commemoration of the 100 years of the House of the Americas is an opportunity to renew the commitments of the Inter-American community and, in this setting OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza will participate on a ceremony to plant a peace tree representing the efforts of the Organization and its Member States to build the strongest foundations to confront the challenges of the future.

One hundred years ago, on April 26, 1910, then U.S. President William Taft inaugurated the House of the Americas with a ceremony in which he planted in the central patio of the building the “Tree of Peace,” a gesture that will be reenacted a century later.

In 1908 the American President Theodore Roosevelt laid the corner-stone of the building, constructed by architects Albert Kelsey and Paul Cret, of Philadelphia. Today, the House of the Americas is an emblematic construction of the Organization’s values and a reflection of the cultural and racial diversity of the hemisphere.

Events

As part of the centennial celebration, the OAS will organize, throughout 2010, a series of events and activities that include: a gala on April 29 that will begin the Centennial Campaign with former president of the United States, Bill Clinton, as a guest of honor; an exhibit at the OAS Art Museum entitled: “The House of the Americas turns 100: Paul Philippe Cret and the Architecture of Dialogue,” with a collection of original plans and drawings of the building. This exhibit was curated by architectural historian and writer Tom Mellins and designed by Pure+Applied.

Other events of the celebration include the Caribbean exhibition called “About Change,” a series of concerts in the fall of 2010 where children will participate in orchestral programs for social inclusion in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela and other Caribbean countries; and finally, the celebration of the Caribbean-American Heritage Month at the OAS. Additional information regarding all of the centennial events can be found here

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-129/10