Brand Avenue suggests that cities—even entire nations—have color schemes. It makes sense. One of the things I”ve always loved about Lisboa is its light… a beautiful shade of yellow with just a hint of orange. The Portuguese also have an affinity for pastel tones, painting even public buildings in what I would call Easter colors.
Given that there are only two buildings interrupting the supposed widest avenue in the world, they should be appreciated… even revered. But no. At the north end of Avenida 9 de Julio, the fru-fru French embassy receives frequent oooh’s & ahhh’s by everyone. However, the building on the southern end typically generates scowls or looks of disbelief.
Last year’s ad campaign for a new Hugo Boss cologne caught my eye… not only because Jonathan Rhys-Meyers appears front & center. Anyone who has been to Buenos Aires can easily recognize the background as Diagonal Sur as seen from Plaza de Mayo. My question is: why did they decide to erase the guys who strike the bell on the Siemens building?
King Carlos II of Spain declared burials inside or beside churches illegal in 1787, but the American colonies waited awhile to implement the new rules. Old habits are hard to break. Buenos Aires opened Recoleta Cemetery in 1822, but Bogotá inaugurated their first public cemetery much earlier in 1791.
Bogotá’s growth as a city seemed to be outward rather than upward. Its relative lack of tall buildings point to the fact that acquiring new land was more economic than tearing down older structures & constructing taller ones in their place. Also, the fact that the region is prone to earthquakes made building low a priority.