Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral

The complex was originally built to serve as the headquarters for the third UNCTAD conference,[1] which was held in Santiago in 1972, and consisted of a convention centre and an adjoining 22-story building.

The building was finished in only 275 days in a significant effort supported by several thousand volunteers.

This effort was part of a propaganda initiative performed by the socialist government of Salvador Allende.

After the conference, the building was used as a cultural center until the 1973 Chilean coup d'état.

After the end of the Pinochet regime, it hosted a number of conventions and the adjacent tower became the main building for the Ministry of National Defense.