line of sight

repost: ministerio de obras públicas

[As requested by Señor F, this is the first of several reposts from the previous incarnation of Line of Sight. Originally published as "often overlooked" on 05 Apr 2007.]

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. I was guilty of the same until today.

The ex-Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Obras Públicas or MOP for short) was under construction at the same time dozens of city blocks were demolished to make this enormous avenue. My favorite workers’ housing architect, Fermín Bereterbide, had a wonderful idea of running traffic underground & constructing twin buildings to fill in the void (pics above). I can’t find info on who the actual MOP architect was (perhaps José Álvarez?), but twin structures with a connecting walkway would have been triumphant, to say the least. What was finally built is a solitary hunk of concrete that no one thinks is very attractive. Until you walk around the back… I was shocked at the beautiful shapes—invisible while driving down the avenue. Semicircles, towers, curved balconies & inviting open space are all there. I like this rather dark view of a 27-floor monster:

A closer look reveals that it is literally falling apart. Exterior concrete is missing at ceiling-floor joints:

Walking around the north side, the MOP loses most of its decorative qualities. But the rounded back “fins” are super cool:

This is what most people see from Avenida 9 de Julio… flat, no decoration, & dotted with air-conditioning units:

On closer inspection, statues come into focus. Gotham City can’t compete. Strong, half-column figures are sternly holding bridges & buildings… projects that the MOP would have been in charge of:

The entrance is fairly blah. Again, A/C units are inserted randomly, & the coats-of-arms surrounding the main entrance are too dirty to distinguish. From across the street I didn’t realize that the dark structures were lamps & that there was a guy sleeping on the front steps. BTW, the scaffolding is not for restoration purposes… it’s to keep chunks of the building from falling on you as you walk by:

The lamps were the best discovery… large, Grecian urn-like beacons. I was scolded by a cop for climbing on the scaffolding, but the sculptors name became clearly visible:  Troiano Troiani. He’s responsible for some of the best Art Deco sculptures in town, from Caballito to Recoleta Cemetery:

The side entrance is nice & curvy as well:

So why is this building in such bad shape? Easy answer… politics. The Perón’s would make grand speeches from here, & Eva even accepted here “surprise” nomination as Vice President for Juan’s second term. When you think about it, Plaza de Mayo is too small for an effective mass demonstration. Avenida 9 de Julio is better suited. During various anti-Peronist governments, I can imagine this building was an eyesore & neglected. In the 1990s this became the HQ for public health administration, & President Menem unsuccessfully ordered its demolition. The conflict surrounding this building is best symbolized by an homage to Eva Perón… placed in 2003: