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San Nicolás |
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This neighborhood owes its name to the church of “San Nicolás de Bari”, founded in 1773, which was situated in Carlos Pellegrini St. and Corrientes Av. The Argentine flag was hoisted for the first time in this place.
But the neighborhood is widely known and referred to as “El Centro” (downtown). Within it you will find the area known as “la City Porteña”, which is the part of the city where almost all finance companies and banks operate.
From San Martín square you can go walking to downtown Buenos Aires. After passing by the Catalinas Towers, near the Sheraton hotel, you cross through Florida St. (pedestrian street), which is full of stores of all kinds. If you keep walking by Florida St., you will get to the famous Corrientes Av. where you will find many theaters, bookstores, pizzerias and coffee shops. When you get to 9 de Julio Av., you will find the renowned “Obelisco” (obelisk).
El Obelisco (The Obelisk)
It was built in 1936 in commemoration of the four hundred years of the first Spanish settlement in the River Plate in 1536, when Pedro de Mendoza arrived to the city and named it “Santa María del Buen Ayre”. It also commemorates the second foundation of the city in 1580 by the expedition led by Juan de Garay, and the designation of Buenos Aires as “Capital Federal” (capital city) in 1880 during Nicolás Avellaneda’s presidency.
There is no doubt that the nerve center of Corrientes Av. is when it converges with 9 de Julio Av.: there you will find the Obelisk, which was designed by the architect Alberto Prebisch. It is 67 meters high and the summit has a lightening rod. Its exterior is covered in lime rocks and in its interior it presents a hollowed structure, where there is a straight iron staircase of two hundred and two steps which reaches to the summit, from where you get a splendid panoramic view of the city.
The obelisk erects in the area where the Argentine flag, created by Manuel Belgrano, was hoisted for the first time in Buenos Aires, in the tower of the church of “San Nicolás de Bari”, founded in 1793. This tower was demolished together with the church itself between 1931 and 1936, when Corrientes Av. was widened.
Three years after its raising, the Town Council, decided to knock down the monument, but it still stands where it was originally erected, despite of the council decisions.
It is situated in the intersection of 9 de Julio and Corrientes Avenues.
(Nearest subway stations: Line C: Diagonal Norte Station – Line D: 9 de Julio station)
La Plaza de la República (Square “República”)
This square, with an elliptical form, is the nerve center of the city’s show business. It is the reference point where tourists and local people mix with each other. No doubt this square is the heart of this big city.
(Nearest subway stations: Line C: Diagonal Norte Station – Line D: 9 de Julio station)
Avenida 9 de Julio (9 de Julio Avenue)
One of the broadest thoroughfares of the world, with an area of 140 m, and bears the name of the date of the Argentine Independence in 1816. It extends along more than twenty five blocks.
This important and busy avenue joins the railroad stations of Retiro and Constitución.
Avenida Corrientes (Corrientes Avenue)
It is a traditional thoroughfare of the city, worth to be walked by during the day and also at night, famous for its theaters, movie theaters, bookstores and coffee shops. It resembles the famous Broadway St. in New York City.
In the area enclosed by Callao Av. up to Florida St. there are several theaters, movie theaters, coffee shops, bars, pizzerias and restaurants, apart from theme bookstores which are open until very late at night.
In this area you will find the “Paseo La Plaza”, situated in 1660 Corrientes Av. and inaugurated in 1989. It is a theater complex, with two auditoriums and also with stores and restaurants. It is a very nice place to visit.
Teatro General San Martín y Centro Cultural San Martín (Theater and Cultural Center “General San Martín”)
This thirteenth-storey theater is situated in 1530 Corrientes Av. Modern due to its glass and cement structure, it was inaugurated in 1961 and it was designed by the architect Mario R. Álvarez.
It is one of the most important cultural centers of the city; it counts with auditoriums, stage workshops, museums, conference rooms, exhibition halls, movie theaters and multiple halls for national and international events.
There are guided tours from Tuesdays to Fridays at 10 am, 11 am and 12 pm. Tel: 0-800-333-5254.
Avenida Roque Sáenz Peña (Roque Sáenz Peña Avenue)
The Roque Sáenz Peña Avenue, also known as “Diagonal Norte”, presents a special feature, because all the buildings situated in this avenue have the same height. They are all built in the art deco and art noveau styles and belong to the end of the 19th century. All the buildings used to be houses to let and nowadays there are offices that belong to important national as well as international companies.
Banco de Boston (Bank Boston)
This is a building that definitely stands out. It is situated in the intersection of Roque Sáenz Peña Av. and Florida St. It is the head office of Bank Boston.
It was inaugurated in 1924. The building presents a wonderful circular tower with a colonial covering and a mixture of styles in its exterior, adapted from the Renaissance and Spanish plateresque styles. Besides, its interior is very luxurious and the ornamentation, as well as the golden roof of the first floor, stands out. The main door is made up of bronze from Great Britain and weighs approximately four tons.
Monumento a Roque Sáenz Peña (Monument to Roque Sáenz Peña)
In front of Bank Boston, you will find the monument to Roque Sáenz Peña (1822 - 1907), member of the national party and president of Argentina from 1910 to 1913, who established the universal suffrage as electoral law in 1912.
The work, sculpted over a stone block in the art deco style, belongs to José Fioravanti (1898-1977), an Argentine sculptor renowned for his naturalist monuments. His most important work, the “Monumento a la Bandera” (Monument to the Flag), situated in Rosario city, was built with the collaboration of his Italian brother, Octavio Fioravanti.
Plaza Lavalle (Lavalle square)
This wonderful square, full of trees, comprises three blocks rich in history, enclosed by Libertad, Lavalle, Talcahuano streets and Córdoba Av.
Lavalle square is surrounded by the Colón Theater and the Courthouse building, among other important institutions.
In this square you will find several interesting sculptural works. Facing the Courthouse building, in the block surrounded by Talcahuano, Tucumán, Libertad and Lavalle streets, there stands the monument to the General Juan Lavalle (1797-1841), who was a leader of the country’s independence and member of the centralist party. This marble work was made by Pedro Costa. At a few meters of the monument, there is a beautiful ceiba tree, which was planted in 1878.
There is also, since 1940, a second-hand books’ fair which is open from Mondays to Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm, where you can buy books, old magazines and newspapers.
In the block surrounded by Talcahuano St., Córdoba Av. and Libertad and Viamonte streets there are several sculptural works in honor to actors, musicians, politicians and other distinguished figures.
Courthouse building
Its exact location is 550 Talcahuano St. This majestic palace is the seat of the judiciary, including the Nation’s Supreme Court of Justice. The construction of this Greco-Roman colossal building was finished in 1910 by the French architect Norberto Maillart and it is enclosed by Talcahuano, Lavalle, Uruguay and Tucumán streets. In its interior you will find the sculpture “La Justicia” (Justice), a work by Rogelio Yrurtia.
Norberto Maillart also participated in the construction work of the Post Office building and the renowned school “Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires”.
It has been declared National Historical Monument.
Teatro Colón (Colón Theater)
This theater, situated in front of the Lavalle square, is considered one of the most important theaters of the world and it is compared to, due to its acoustic, artistic and ornamental features, the Scala of Milan.
There are opera, ballet and classical music performances. The theater was inaugurated in May 25th, 1908, with the performance of “Aída”, by Giuseppe Verdi.
This musical theater was built in three stages: the first was in charge of the Italian architect Francisco Tamburini; the second stage was in charge of the architect Víctor Meano and the construction work was ended by the Belgian architect Julio Dormal.
The theater presents places worth mentioning and admiring, such as: “El Hall Central” (Central Hall), “El Salón Dorado” (Golden Hall), “El Salón Blanco” (White Hall), and the stunning cupola painted by Raúl Soldi, with fifty one musical figures of the sixties.
The main hall presents twenty two stalls’ rows and seven levels: three for boxes, gods, galleries and upper galleries. There is an amazing bronze chandelier from France with approximately seven hundred lamps.
From the main marble staircase you get to the foyer which leads to the upper stalls and the low boxes. In the first floor you will find the “Galería de los Bustos” (Busts’ gallery), where you will find busts of Verdi, Beethoven, Wagner, Gounod, Mozart and Bizet.
The “Salón Dorado” is used especially for concerts, conferences and exhibitions, and it is furnished with luxury objects with high mirrors and French furniture.
The “Salón Blanco”, in the French Renaissance style, is used as anteroom for government officials in gala performances.
The four external façades are decorated with large masks and friezes with children dancing. The Italian sculptor Luis Trinchero was in charge of these decorations and he also created the sculptures present in the “Salón Dorado”.
The theater has a capacity for 3,542 seated spectators and taking into account the stalls, boxes, gods, galleries and upper galleries, it may hold approximately more than 4,000 spectators.
The theater counts with its own corps de ballet, stable cast, workshops, ballet, singing and performance schools and a musical arts and instruments museum. In the different levels of the basement there are stage design storerooms, hairdresser’s room, tailor’s room, dry cleaner’s room, tapestry room and everything a great performance needs to be carried out.
The stage presents a French red velvet curtain, apart from an iron curtain used to protect the velvet one.
The presidential box is located in the right wing of the stage and it was inaugurated by the president Figueroa Alcorta in the inaugural gala performance in 1908.
During the 20th century, many figures performed in this beautiful stage such as the tenors Enrico Carusso, Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti; the soprano Claudia Muzio, the ballet dancers Vaslav Nijinsky, Nureyev, Norma Fontenla, José Neglia, Maia Plissetskaia, Julio Bocca and Maximiliano Guerra; the opera singer María Callas and the conductor Arturo Toscanini, among others.
There is no doubt that the building is a living evidence of the well-known “belle époque” period the country was undergoing in those years. Its colored marbles (yellow from Siena, red from Verona and pink from Portugal), its friezes, sculpted figures and columns, mosaics from Venice, French stained-glass windows, Carrara marble staircase and gold engravings were combined with a great auditorium, certainly one of the biggest of the world with a perfect acoustic. All this, together with the repertoires offered and the artistic quality of national and international performers, contribute to its worldwide prestige.
It is highly recommended to go on a guided tour, from Mondays to Fridays at 11 am and 3 pm, and on Saturdays from 9 am to 12 pm.
The Colon Theater is situated in the block enclosed by Cerrito Av. and Tucumán, Libertad and Toscanini streets.
The main access to the theater is in 621 Libertad St. and for the guided visits the entrance is on 1168 Toscanini St. It is advisable to call to 0800-333-26566 to arrange the time of the guided visits.
The theater has been declared National Historical Monument.
(Nearest subway station: Tribunales – Line D)
Bolsa de Comercio de Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires Stock Exchange)
This building is the fourth central office of the Buenos Aires SE and it is situated in 359 25 de Mayo St. It stands out due to its Louis XVI architecture and dates back to 1916. The construction work was in charge of the Norwegian architect Alejandro Christophersen who was also in charge of the interior decoration of the building.
Teatro Nacional Cervantes (Cervantes National Theater)
It dates back to 1920, with a neo-plateresque style and it presents a Renaissance façade. In its interior, it presents materials from Spain, such as Valencia floor and glazed tiles, mirrors and seats from Seville and tapestries and curtains from Madrid. It is situated in Córdoba Av. and Libertad St.
It was built by the architects Aranda and Repetto, at the request of the Spanish actress and actor María Guerrero and Fernando Díaz de Mendoza, both developers of the foundation of the theater and owners of it until 1926, when it was sold to the National Government.
It has been declared National Historical Monument.
Torre Mirador Massué (Viewpoint tower “Massué”)
In the intersection of Talcahuano and Tucumán streets, in front of Lavalle square, you will find the Massué Tower, which was built in 1909 at the request of the well-off David Costaguta.
After the demolition of the building in 1989, fortunately the tower with its viewpoint was kept. It belongs to the art noveau style and nowadays it is part of a modern glazed building worth of visiting due to its combination of different styles.
Museo de Mitre (Mitre Museum)
In 336 San Martín St., parallel to Florida St., there is an old house from the colonial period which was built at the end of the 19th century, which keeps the furniture of the period, a library and personal objects of Bartolomé Mitre (1821 – 1906), an Argentine military man, politician and writer, founder of the renowned newspaper “La Nación”.
The old house was turned into a museum in 1907 and it is open from Mondays to Fridays from 1 pm to 4.30 pm and on Sundays from 2 pm to 6 pm. There are guided tours, but it is recommended to call first to arrange the time of the guided tour. Tel: 4394-7659.
Museo Histórico y Numismático del Banco de la Nación Argentina (Historical and Numismatic Museum of the “Banco de la Nación Argentina”)
It is situated in the head office of the “Banco de la Nación Argentina”, which has been declared National Historical Monument in 2002.
Admittance is free and it is open from Mondays to Fridays from 10 am to 3 pm.
It is situated in 326 Bartolomé Mitre St. Tel: Tel.: 4347-6277/6267 4347-6264.
Casa Natal de Jorge Luis Borges (Jorge Luis Borges birthplace)
Jorge Luis Borges, the renowned Argentine writer, lived during his childhood in this picturesque house. His peculiar avant-garde short stories and poems established Borges as one of the most important Latin American and Universal literature writers.
Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) was born in the city of Buenos Aires and lived many stages of his life in Europe, where he got into contact with the German expressionism and the Spanish surrealism.
The house is situated in 844 Tucumán St. Admittance is free. Tel: 4322-1550 |
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