buenos aires: ciae architecture 2

The CIAE ensured that Juan Chiogna’s Romanesque Revival spread throughout Buenos Aires plus its southern suburbs & remains a distinct feature of the urban area. Buildings appeared on three scales & larger structures had more decorative elements. The largest of Chiogna’s works was the first generator complex in La Boca, the Usina Pedro de Mendoza. Initially a 3-story rectangular structure in 1915, it occupied approximately one-quarter of the city block with the street façade decorated by a tower on one end & an ochava office entrance on the other:

One year later a machine room was added to the right of the original tower, so the complex took an “L” form.  This addition can be seen under restoration behind former mayor Jorge Telerman (second from right). Besides gaining an extra structure, the complex had a more decorative service entrance:

Expansion continued by adding a second tower (with a terracotta tile rooftop), an interior vehicle path to connect both service entrances & one more building on the opposite side of the street:

In 1926 the complex was further enlarged along Caffarena Street, maintaining Chiogna’s original style. This final expansion added more space, a clock tower & a “patio of honor.” The flagship of the CIAE is even more impressive considering that at this point it became a complete complex occupying half of the city block:

In 1928 a smaller substation was built across the street by an unknown architect, but whoever designed the space for 5 extra generators & cable storage followed Chiogna’s lead. Maybe a little excessive on the decoration compared to the original complex, but it adds a bit of fantasy. Apologies for the horrible photo… bad light, no time to return:

Saved from demolition when the Buenos Aires-La Plata highway was built next to it, the city government began to show interest in the building in the year 2000. Destined to become the Usina de la Música, basic clean-up & restoration took place from 2001 to 2005. The 2006 purchase price was $5.6 million pesos (U$S 1.8 million at the time). Major works began in 2007 under the Telerman administration with an estimated budget of 55 million pesos (currently U$S 14 million), but it’s anyone’s guess as to when the National Symphony & the Buenos Aires Philharmonic will be able to move in. Supposedly over 70% of the work is completed & sometime this year it will open to the public. The largest auditorium will have 1,600 seats, another will have 500 & the rehearsal hall will hold 250… a fantastic set of photos on Flickr shows what city officials have gotten themselves into:

While the city waits for the complete space to open, the second tower houses one of the locations for the Fundación Julio Bocca. The building has also been used for the occasional publicity shot:

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CIAE series: Electricity timeline • Precedent & foundation • Swiss holding companies • Architecture 1 2 3 4 • Expansion • Scandal • Fade to black • Building list • Bibliography

This post is archived under architecture, argentina, buenos aires. Tags: ciae, compañía italo-argentina de electricidad, flagship, generator, juan chiogna, la boca, revival, romanesque, usina