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Different personalities, among groups of blocks and streets, come together in this neighborhood. On the one hand, the tumultuous side of Retiro, from where thousands of people come and go every day, as there are three train railheads, a bus terminal and several bus stations. On the other hand, the elegant and refined side of Carlos Pellegrini square, surrounded by luxurious hotels, beautiful apartments and the majestic area of the palaces, situated over San Martín square.
Nowadays, this is one of the most visited neighborhoods by tourists from all over the world. You will find a wide variety of articles to buy, such as regional products, beautiful crafts, leather products, precious stones, among other native products.
It was in Retiro where the poet Rafael Obligado lived and established his studio. In this place he finished the four parts of his renowned book “Santos Vega” and published his famous “Poesías”.
The neighborhood owes its name to a residence called “El Retiro”, built for the Spanish governor Don Agustín de Robles in 1691. It was a place intended for resting.
In 1772, the first military buildings were established in this area. The bullring (now San Martín square) was also situated in this area.
Many battles were held in this area, especially the ones corresponding to the period of the British Invasions that took place between 1806 and 1807. It was in 1807 that the British army surrendered.
In 1812 the General San Martín used this area as a training camp for his Grenadier Regiment.
From 1852, the neighborhood acquired an extraordinary social importance, because the most important families of the city that used to live at the south of “Plaza Mayor”, in Monserrat neighborhood, moved to this area. The name “Retiro” was kept throughout time because in the old times it was a common habit to make spiritual retreats in the outskirts of the city.
Estación Retiro (Retiro station)
Three railroad lines converge in this station: The Mitre, Belgrano and San Martín lines.
The place where the station is now situated used to be occupied by the River Plate. In 1897 a huge fire destroyed the station completely. The ones in charge of the reconstruction work of the station were the English architect Eustace Lauriston Counder and three collaborators. In 1914, when the new station was finished, it turned into one of the biggest stations of the world.
Taking a train from this huge station, you can get to the neighborhoods of Belgrano, San Isidro, Tigre and other places from Buenos Aires province. (Nearest subway station: Retiro – Line C)
Torre Monumental (Monumental Tower)
The “Torre Monumental”, also known as “Torre de los Ingleses” (Tower of the English People), has an English Renaissance style from the 16th century. It is 76 meters high, eight floors including its Corinthian belfry and in its superior level it holds five bells. The clock, located in the 6th and 7th floor, was built by Gillette and Jolmston. The tower’s weathervane presents a boat, representing the crossing of the oceans by a frigate in the Elizabethan style.
The author of this typical English architectural work was Ambrose Poynter and all the material used for the building of the tower was brought from England, including the technicians.
The totem was a gift by the English in 1910, in gratitude for having received a group of British immigrants and in commemoration of the country’s independence in 1810. The tower was inaugurated in 1916.
It is located in the “Fuerza Aérea Argentina” square, facing the railroad station. (Nearest subway station: Retiro – Line C)
Plaza República del Canadá (“República de Canadá” square)
This attractive square near the port area is located in an authentic native Canadian Totem, from Vancouver Island, donated to the city by the Canadian personnel. It is 20 meters high and it weighs 4 tons. The artists’ aim was to represent the animals in order, from top to bottom you will see an eagle, a sea lion, an otter, a whale, a beaver, a bird of prey and finally the head of a man.
Florida Street
Even though all the streets surrounding San Martín square are worth visiting, Florida, which is a pedestrian street, receive every day millions of pedestrians all along its eleven blocks, packed with stores of different styles, from coffee shops to interesting cultural centers.
The street has its origin in the end of the 18th century.
The most important points are the San Martín square, the Plaza Marriot Hotel, the Kavanagh building, the Navy Society building, the “Galerías Pacífico” shopping mall and the Bank Boston.
Plaza San Martín (San Martín square)
The buildings that surround this square turn it into one of the most attractive squares of the city, also surrounded by Santa Fé Av., Maipú St., Del Libertador Av. and Florida St. It bears the name of the General José Francisco de San Martín (1778-1850), called “El Libertador” (the Liberator), hero of the South American Independence movement.
The statue of the General San Martín is a bronze figure and it shows him marking the way to his grenadiers, mounted over his horse. The sculpture is situated over Santa Fe Av. and Maipú St.
In front of Marcelo T. de Alvear St. there is another statue, “La Duda”, which represents the French classicism. It is a marble sculpture made by Louis Cordier.
The sculptures “El Aguatero” and “Grupo Infantil”, by Vicente Gemito and “El Niño y la Gallina”, by Nicolás Gulli denote the freshness of the Italian art.
The Catalan Fountain, which was a gift by the Catalan community, is also situated in this square, near Florida St.
The monument to Leandro N. Alem, situated in the corner of Maipú and Juncal streets, is a work by the Argentine sculptor Pedro Zonza Briano.
This famous square was witness of solemn oaths, civic and religious celebrations, as well as “pato” games (pato is a game played on horseback that combines elements from polo and basketball; it is the national game of the country), ring-spearing contests, and “bocha” (bocce) games. The French landscape designer Carlos Thays was in charge of the square’s arboreal design, making up a perfect combination of willows, palm trees, jacarandas, floss silk trees, rubber trees, magnolias and ceiba trees.
San Martín square, skirted by the traditional Florida St. and the elegant Maipú St., with its unique landscape design, sculptures and the architecture of its surroundings, with mansions that belonged to the most traditional Argentine families, is one of the most attractive and important squares of Buenos Aires. (Nearest subway station: San Martín – Line C)
Edificio Kavanagh (Kavanagh building)
During a long time, this building was a symbol of the modern city of Buenos Aires, as it was one of the first skyscrapers of Buenos Aires. It was inaugurated in 1936, situated in 1065 Florida St. It is a thirty-storey building and it presents a wonderful view to San Martín square and the River Plate.
The moment it was inaugurated, it counted with state-of-the-art technology in order to provide comfort to its inhabitants. It also counted with six main elevators and six service elevators.
Its architecture combines elements of rationalism and art deco. The building was projected by the architects Sánchez, Lagos and De La Torre. It was financed by Corina Kavanagh, who rented 105 apartments and later sold them in 1952.
(Nearest subway station: San Martín – Line C)
Plaza Hotel
In 1909, at the beginnings of the 20th century, the Plaza Hotel was inaugurated in 1005 Florida St., one of the most luxurious hotels of those times in Buenos Aires. It was the first hotel which counted with elevators and hosted great personalities from all periods.
It was also the first hotel in offering a strange system of air conditioning: ice bars were put around the lounge-dining room together with the fans. The decoration was comparable to the Versailles Palace decoration.
Alfredo Zucker was the person who designed the plans to build this magnificent building and was in charge of the construction works, the installations and even the interior decorating.
The talented German architect landed in the country in 1904, searching for job opportunities, having studied in the US. In New York there is one of his most renowned works: St. Patrick Cathedral.
The idea of building this luxury hotel, in the European style, was by the businessman Ernest Tornquist. The most famous writers, artists, presidents and kings have chosen this hotel for their stays because they could hardly find a hotel, even in other parts of the country, where they received all the care and attention this type of personalities require and a cuisine of the highest standards.
The work was inaugurated on July 15th, 1915, during the Belle Epoque period in the country, one year before the celebration of the Independence Centennial. Many important figures from the period and even the president of that time, José Figueroa Alcorta, took part in the inauguration celebration.
Among the famous people that stayed in this hotel, there are King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofía of Spain, Indira Gandhi, Teodoro Roosevelt, Bing Crosby, Alain Delon, Luciano Pavarotti, the general Charles de Gaulle, Armstrong and Collins, the Brazilian football player Pelé, the singer María Callas and Dr Alfred Sabin, among others.
The Plaza Hotel has been remodeled many times, but it still keeps its incomparable air of distinction.
Since 1995, the hotel belongs to the Marriot chain. There are two important and renowned restaurants, the “Plaza Grill” and “La Brasserie”, in charge of the chef Miguel de Arregui.
From the snack bar “La Terrase”, the Fitness Center where the pool is situated, you get an interesting view of San Martín square.
Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento (“Santísimo Sacramento” Basilica)
This church is located in 1039 San Martín St., between the Kavanagh building and the Plaza Marriot Hotel, among different styles and periods.
It is highly recommended to visit this beautiful church, which stands out due to its five towers and its white marble ornamentation, mosaic of Venice, onyx and bronze.
The church dates back to 1916 and it was built for the Anchorena family by the architects Couloms and Chauvet, in the area which used to be occupied by Laprida’s country house, behind the Plaza Marriot Hotel.
Catalinas Norte
The urbanization of Catalinas Norte started thirty years ago, and its name comes from the convent “Las Catalinas”, which, until 1974, was situated in the corner of Viamonte and San Martín streets.
The complex is situated in the area surrounded by Córdoba, Eduardo Madero, Leandro N. Alem Avenues and San Martín St. (Nearest subway station: Retiro – Line C)
Administración de Parques Nacionales (National Parks’ Administration)
The state central office is situated in 690 Santa Fé Av. in a luxury building in the neogothic style built in 1880 by the architects Passeron and Brizuela.
The building counts with an interesting library which stands out because it specializes in environment issues from the country and from Latin America as well. (Nearest subway station: San Martín – Line C)
Círculo Militar (Military Society)
Inspired in the Louvre Museum, in Paris, the construction of this building, situated in 750 Santa Fé Av., lasted almost 22 years. It was built at the beginnings of the 20th century by the architect Carlos Agote, based on the plans designed by the French architect Luis Sortais. The residence extends through Santa Fé Av., Maipú St., surrounding Marcelo T. de Alvear St.
Until 1935, it was the residence of José C. Paz, the founder of the newspaper “La Prensa”. Then it turned into the central office of the Military Society in 1939. There is a library, the Foundation and the Museum of Arms of Buenos Aires, in the corner of Maipú St. and Santa Fé Av. It is recommended to visit this museum because the palace itself is not open to the public.
The museum is open from Tuesdays to Fridays from 2.30 pm to 7 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 2 pm to 6 pm. (Nearest subway station: San Martín – Line C)
Palacio San Martín (San Martín Palace)
This majestic palace is situated in Arenales St., between Esmeralda and Basavilbaso streets. It was built in 1909 by the renowned Scandinavian architect Alejandro Christophersen (1866-1946) for the Anchorena family and its baroque façade shows the influence of the French architectural style.
This façade was awarded as the best façade of 1910. In fact, it is not just a palace, but three independent residences which, at the same time, are linked through an important central yard, with art noveau touches.
The central yard, named “Patio de Honor” (honor yard), used to have a flight of stairs from where you could get access to the three residences.
Aarón de Anchorena and Mercedes Castellanos de Anchorena settled in the corner of Esmeralda and Arenales St.; Enrique Anchorena with his family occupied the main body and Emilio Anchorena and his family occupied the corner of Arenales and Basavilbaso streets.
The main entrance is in Arenales St. In 1936, this splendid palace was bought by the State in order to use it as the central office of the “Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto” (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship), named as “Palacio San Martín”.
Nowadays, some of the offices have been moved to a new building.
It is open to the public and there are guided tours. It is recommended to call beforehand to find out about the guided tour’s timetable. Tel: 4819-7000
Círculo Naval (Navy Society)
It was built in 1914 by the architects Dunant and Mallet and it is situated in Florida St. and Córdoba Av. In front of this palace, you will find the renowned shopping mall “Galerías Pacífico”.
Galerías Pacífico (Shopping mall “Galerías Pacífico”)
The original work, projected by the architects Emilio Agrelo and Raúl Vacher in 1889, was aimed to host a group of stores similar to the ones existing in France or Italy.
In 1946 the building turned into a shopping mall. Its beautiful cupola is covered with murals with different subject matters, making up a wonderful cohesion of forms and colors, and from several artists such as Antonio Berni, Lino Eneas Spilimbergo, Juan Carlos Castagnino, Demetrio Urruchúa, and the Spanish Manuel Colmeiro. These murals were restored in 1968 under the direction of Berni himself (1905-1981) and it were also restored in 1991, but this time the restoration was in charge of a notable team of Argentine and Mexican painters.
Finally, the shopping and cultural mall was inaugurated in 1992.
The mall is enclosed by Córdoba Av. and Florida, San Martín and Viamonte streets. It has been declared National Historical Monument in 1989. (Nearest subway station: Lavalle – Line C)
Monasterio de Santa Catalina de Siena (Convent “Saint Catherine of Siena”)
The construction work of this convent, based on the original plans drawn by Bianchi, was in charge of Juan de Carbona, the same person who was in charge of the building of the Monastery of the Recoletos. The building, entirely made up of lime and brick, is one of the best examples of the architecture style of the colonial period.
It was declared national Historical Monument and it is located in Rivadavia Av. and San Martín St. Tel: 4331-2845
Museo de Arte Hispanoamericano “Isaac Fernández Blanco” (Latin American Art Museum “Isaac Fernández Blanco”)
This neocolonial monument, situated in 1422 Suipacha St., was built in 1925 by the architect Martín Noel.
The objects found in this museum came from different donations: by Martín Noel (colonial art) in 1936; by Fernández Blanco in 1947, and the last one by Celina González, in 1962.
The museum presents an interesting collection of furniture, tapestries, ornamental combs, carpentry, paintings, religious objects and silverware from the colonial period.
It is open to the public every day (except on Mondays) from 2 pm to 7 pm and there are guided tours on Saturdays and Sundays at 4 pm.
Torre Mihanovich - Hotel Sofitel (Mihanovich Tower – Sofitel Hotel)
It is said that, in 1929, Nicolás Mihanovich wanted to build the highest building of Buenos Aires in order to see the moment when his boats set sail to Colonia, in Uruguay.
It is a neoclassical building built by the Bencich brothers. It is situated in 841/49 Arroyo St. and it is one of the most elegant towers of the city and, for a long time, it was also one of the highest buildings of the city.
The building shows an eclectic combination of styles typical of the transition the architecture was undergoing in those years. There are classical ornaments with art deco and rationalist variations, such as the superior pyramid.
The tower was remodeled by the architect Daniel Fernández at the beginning of 2002, turning it into one of the best five-star hotels of the city and founding the Sofitel Hotel chain in Buenos Aires, in a perfect combination of contemporary design with the traditional and elegant art deco style.
Thanks to this resurgence, the area where the hotel is situated has become even more beautiful and elegant than before. The renowned decorator Pierre-Yves Rochon was in charge of its interior design, merging elements inspired in the traditional French style with local “porteño” elements, offering elegant, warm and modern rooms. |
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