The
French neoclassical building housing the Argentine General Customs Directorate (DGA) was commissioned during the administration of President
José Figueroa Alcorta, and resulted from the marked expansion in
Argentine foreign trade and the
economy in the generation up to 1910, when the nation's GDP was estimated to have grown by over 8% a year. Local architects Eduardo Lanús and Pablo Hary were commissioned in 1909 to design the new administrative offices for the
Aduana, which was noteworthy not only for its façade and its two turrets, but also for its use of
carrara marble cladding throughout, as well as its numerous allegorical details such as the ornamental bull's heads and the marble
caryatids along the cornice, some bearing intricate wrought-iron
acanthus and
laurel wreaths. The building was inaugurated by President Figueroa Alcorta in October 1910, days before his retirement. Following refurbishment works, on September 28, 2009, the Customs Building was declared a
National Historic Monument by President
Cristina Kirchner. The building reflected the importance of customs duties to the national treasury itself, which from the colonial era of the
Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata until 1930, accounted for around 80 percent of government revenues. The bureau's importance declined after 1945, since which date these revenues have contributed 10-20 percent of the national budget. and that of a
racketeering network in 1991 overseen by President
Carlos Menem's customs administrator and brother-in-law, Ibrahim al-Ibrahim (a
Syrian national who spoke almost no Spanish). Ultimately, the customs bureau was transferred to the Federal Public Revenue Administration (AFIP) by a 1997 decree signed by President Menem. ==References==