The Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral (GAM) (formerly known as the Diego Portales Building) is a cultural centre located at 227 Av. Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins, in Santiago de Chile. 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. In early 2006, a fire destroyed parts of the building, which led the government of Michelle Bachelet to rethink the original sense of the building and return it to a cultural centre.
The Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral was inaugurated in September 2010[1] and is named after Gabriela Mistral. It offers contemporary drama, dance, and music. The GAM houses a range of visual arts.
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