Where Does The President Of Honduras Live?

The Presidential Palace serves as the official residence of the President of Honduras, which is currently located in the Palacio José Cecilio del Valle. The building was constructed in 1988 and was initially designated for the Ministry of External Relations. However, in 1998 (then) president Carlos Roberto Flores Facusse moved the presidential headquarters to the building because he was not satisfied with the building chosen by his predecessor, Rafael Leonardo. All successive Honduran presidents have lived in the palace, including current (2019) president Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado, who is the 55th President of Honduras and is serving his second term in office. The palace was designed by architect Jorge Luciano. It is found in the country's capital of Tegucigalpa. 

Presidential Residence: 1821-1883

Beginning in 1821, the first official residence of the President of Honduras was loctaed in the City Council of Comayagua. During that time, Comayagua was the capital city of Honduras, a position it held for about 60 years. In October 1880, national capital was moved to Tegucigalpa, and (then) President Marco Aurelio Soto relocated vital government departments to the new city, including the legislative and judiciary headquarters. Similarly, the Federal Reserve and the State University of Tegucigalpa were also relocated to the new capital. The new presidential residence in Tegucigalpa was a two-story wooden building located near Plaza de la Merced. The executive offices occupied the second floor. Currently, the ground floor serves as the legislative palace.

Presidential Residence: 1883-1914

In 1883, (then) President Luis Bogran chose to relocate the Presidential Palace, indicating the existing residence near Plaza de la Merced had become unsuitable, and moved the executive offices near the National Congress. The new building had a stone foundation, spacious living rooms for government administration, and was decorated with the national banner and paintings of the country’s heroes. Several years later, President Francisco Bertrand moved the government headquarters once again, this time relocating it within the same building as the current Central Bank of Honduras.

Presidential Residence: 1914-1990s

In 1914, the Government of Honduras bought a piece of land to develop new government offices, and hired Italian architect Augusto Bressani to design a new presidential palace. The palace was a two-story building designed in the classical Victorian architectuural style. The building included watchtowers, a presidential office, as well as a dome at the top which flew the national flag. Additionally, the palace featured offices and an apartment on the ground floor, which are referred to as the "blue living rooms" and were used mainly for receptions. The meeting rooms were known as the "hall of mirrors." Construction was completed in 1919, and General Rafael Lopez Gutierrez was the President of Honduras to live in the palace. The building served as the Presidential Palace for the next 72 years.

Government Civil Center

In 1992, during the leadership of Rafael Leonardo, the presidential headquarters was moved to a new building in the Governmental Civic Center. Later, Leonardo ordered the restoration of the former presidential palace in Tegucigalpa, which had been named to the National Historical Heritage and transfered to the National Archive of Honduras (NAH). In 1998, the official presidential residence was moved to the Palacio José Cecilio del Valle by President Carlos Roberto.