barrio butteler, 1910

22 Jan 2007 //

One of the things that has always impressed me about Argentina is their commitment to social welfare. Before the onslaught of comments to the contrary, hear me out. Without question, you can find lots of examples of the oligarchy looking out for itself, plenty of internal conflicts that jeopardized social welfare, & certainly a lot of work left to be done at present. But the average citizen’s standard of living has been a big concern during 20th-century Argentine history.

A prime example is Article 14 bis of the Argentine Constitution. It mainly discusses labor & union laws, but also mentions:

The State shall grant the benefits of social security, which shall be of an integral nature and may not be waived. In particular, the laws shall establish: compulsory social insurance…; adjustable retirements and pensions; full family protection; protection of homestead; family allowances and access to worthy housing.

That’s right… the Argentine government is obliged by national law to provide each citizen with housing if they cannot provide it for themselves. No, it hasn’t been done. But to place it in the constitution is nothing short of impressive.

The government felt compelled to offer everyone a decent home due to the enormous wave of European immigration from 1880 to 1920. With over 4 million immigrants arriving to a small city possessing few public services, newcomers lived wherever they could. Just prior to their arrival, the 1871 yellow fever epidemic left mansions & houses vacant in the southern section of Buenos Aires when the rich packed up & moved away from the water. Vacant buildings soon overflowed with dozens of families crammed inside a single room. Free was the right price regardless of the lack of sanitation or privacy. Known as “little convents” (conventillos), the name evokes the size of monk’s cell… very tiny.

Since the government encouraged immigrants to come but had no idea what to do with them once they arrived, politicians & citizens began to propose solutions. The most popular idea was construction of housing projects. Unfortunately, agreement on what form housing projects would take proved impossible. Everyone thought their idea was best. However, a number of these projects still exist in Buenos Aires & take different shapes & sizes. I find them fascinating not only for the ideals they respresent but also for seeing different solutions to a common problem.

Generally speaking, most developments that were built are not in downtown Buenos Aires. They are hardly on the standard tourist circuit. The idea was to move people from crowded areas in the center to parts of the city that were sparsely populated. In 1887, Buenos Aires expanded its limits to what they are today & incorporated the towns of Flores & Belgrano. Most of the land from Callao to General Paz was open & unpopulated. Therefore the idea of housing projects accomplished two goals at the same time: to provide a better standard of living for immigrants & to make use of newly acquired land.

Barrio Butteler, 1910 • Parque Chacabuco
(Avenida Cobo & Avenida La Plata)

The oldest housing project in Argentina is on a single city block in the neighborhood of Parque Chacabuco. Azucena Butteler donated the land in 1907 under the condition that the development would be named after her. Why not? The project was finished in 1910 & surprisingly enough is still there. Although heavily modified, the vibe is still interesting & merits a quick visit. It certainly needs some TLC.

The layout is unique in that the central, rectangular mini-plaza is connected to the city’s grid pattern on 4 diagonal axes. All streets are only wide enough for one car, & all streets within the block are named Butteler. Confusing. 64 units were built & sold to working-class families, but very few original houses remain. It’s a place that echoes with tango songwriters, musicians, & actors… hopefully it will get a makeover for its centennial. Imagine that—a 100-year old housing project!

Public housing, Buenos Aires, Parque Chacabuco, Barrio Butteler

Buenos Aires, Parque Chacabuco, Barrio Butteler, 1910

Public housing, Buenos Aires, Parque Chacabuco, Barrio Butteler

Coming next: the rent/own debate & the foundation of the Comisión Nacional de Casas Baratas.

Update (22 Jan 2011): The neighborhood’s plaza got a slight makeover & a fence… hardly necessary since the barrio itself keeps children safe from traffic. In Aug 2009, one of the units was up for sale. The owners wanted U$S 86,000 for a lot size of 116 square meters with 2 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms. Seems a bit pricey for the area, but real estate in Buenos Aires has been crazy expensive for the past few years.

I also found an article in La Nación from Nov 2006 about Barrio Butteler. They mention that several important figures in the city’s history were present for laying the first stone on 15 Dec 1907. It would be great to find a newspaper photo from that event!

In Nov 2009, a 14-page addendum of the Boletín Oficial–the city’s official legal publication–compiled all zoning information about the Barrio Butteler as the first step toward being placed under heritage protection laws. Under Law 3.534 approved in Sep 2010, the oldest housing project in Buenos Aires now enjoys full protection from demolition or major changes. Although notoriously difficult to enforce, at least the area has received the recognition it deserves.

A prime example is Article 14 bis of the Argentine Constitution. It mainly discusses labor & union laws, but also mentions:

The State shall grant the benefits of social security, which shall be of an integral nature and may not be waived. In particular, the laws shall establish: compulsory social insurance…; adjustable retirements and pensions; full family protection; protection of homestead; family allowances and access to worthy housing.

The government felt compelled to offer everyone a decent home due to the enormous wave of European immigration from 1880 to 1920. With over 4 million immigrants arriving to a small city possessing few public services, newcomers lived wherever they could. Just prior to their arrival, the 1871 yellow fever epidemic left mansions & houses vacant in the southern section of Buenos Aires when the rich packed up & moved away from the water. Vacant buildings soon overflowed with dozens of families crammed inside a single room. Free was the right price regardless of the lack of sanitation or privacy. Known as “little convents” (conventillos), the name evokes the size of monk’s cell… very tiny.

A prime example is Article 14 bis of the Argentine Constitution. It mainly discusses labor & union laws, but also mentions:

The government felt compelled to offer everyone a decent home due to the enormous wave of European immigration from 1880 to 1920. With over 4 million immigrants arriving to a small city possessing few public services, newcomers lived wherever they could. Just prior to their arrival, the 1871 yellow fever epidemic left mansions & houses vacant in the southern section of Buenos Aires when the rich packed up & moved away from the water. Vacant buildings soon overflowed with dozens of families crammed inside a single room. Free was the right price regardless of the lack of sanitation or privacy. Known as “little convents” (conventillos), the name evokes the size of monk’s cell… very tiny.

Barrio Butteler, 1910 • Parque Chacabuco (Avenida Cobo & Avenida La Plata)

The layout is unique in that the central, rectangular mini-plaza is connected to the city’s grid pattern on 4 diagonal axes. All streets are only wide enough for one car, & all streets within the block are named Butteler. Confusing. 64 units were built & sold to working-class families, but very few original houses remain. It’s a place that echoes with tango songwriters, musicians, & actors… hopefully it will get a makeover for its centennial. Imagine that—a 100-year old housing project!

Coming next is the rent/own debate & the foundation of the Comisión Nacional de Casas Baratas. Stay tuned!

. Most of the land from Callao to General Paz was open & unpopulated. Therefore the idea of housing projects accomplished two goals at the same time: to provide a better standard of living for immigrants & to make use of newly acquired land.

Barrio Butteler, 1910 • Parque Chacabuco (Avenida Cobo & Avenida La Plata)

The layout is unique in that the central, rectangular mini-plaza is connected to the city’s grid pattern on 4 diagonal axes. All streets are only wide enough for one car, & all streets within the block are named Butteler. Confusing. 64 units were built & sold to working-class families, but very few original houses remain. It’s a place that echoes with tango songwriters, musicians, & actors… hopefully it will get a makeover for its centennial. Imagine that—a 100-year old housing project!

Coming next is the rent/own debate & the foundation of the Comisión Nacional de Casas Baratas. Stay tuned!

Categories Parque Chacabuco

microbarrio san vicente de paul, 1912

25 Jan 2007 //

Social assistance in Argentina was not limited to private donations like that of Azucena Butteler. An important group did as much as all other organizations combined—the Catholic church. Under the guidance of the Unión Popular Católica Argentina, nationwide fundraising drives gave Catholic organizations lots of cash to assist the poor. The government highly valued their contribution, mainly administered by women’s groups.

With the role of homemaker, wife & mother being fairly limited, many women sought to express their love of country & get out of the house by helping those in need. In the early 20th century, the needy were viewed as byproducts of circumstance, & advances in science would soon find a “cure” for poverty. I think we’re all still waiting for that…

Also keep in mind that most religious aid groups were exclusive & elite; there wasn’t much of a middle class 100 years ago. Only upper-class women had the time & connections necessary to help those in need… which if you stop to think about it is an amazing crossing of social boundaries. But it was the only way for women to break out of their defined role 100 years ago.

At the same time, the Argentine government did not yet see itself as a provider for citizens. Funds made available by the Jockey Club sat in the bank unused. Someone had to take up the slack, especially with Buenos Aires growing faster than it could accommodate all the new immigrants arriving. Catholic groups like the nationally sponsored Sociedad de Beneficencia, composed of elite women, helped on a grander scale with projects like hospitals or asylums. But they never addressed the poor’s urgent need for housing.

Microbarrio San Vicente de Paul, 1912 • Nueva Pompeya (Cachí & Traful)

The Ladies of St. Vincent de Paul occupied the front lines in the fight against poverty. They visited the poor frequently, giving spiritual advice along with material assistance. Their knowledge of the porteño poor came through one-on-one contact. Innovative in women’s rights, adherents to St. Vincent de Paul created the first non-cloistered female order with full Papal support. One of their leaders stated:

What the poor need more than material bread is the bread of compassion… material assistance is not enough if it is not accompanied by the consoling phrases that are the balm for deep sorrows.

The first Conference of Vincentinas was founded in Buenos Aires in 1889. Two years later there were 53 Conferences with over 7,800 members. Huge growth. When they decided to tackle worker housing, the Vincentinas were likely influenced by the idea of spreading “domestic science”… by making the home a healthy place or a safe refuge for the family, the nation would become a better place.

In 1912, this mini-barrio of 96 units opened, built with funds from the Jockey Club & volunteer labor. Units were rented so the Vincentinas could have more control over tenants. This was a good thing as they forbade any kind of sweatshop or piecework labor. In fact, it was largely women helping women. Lots of single-parent, abandoned-mother families were becoming more common as immigrants continued to flow in & out of Argentina.

One city block is occupied by concentric squares divided down the middle. In the center is an enormous clock tower. Just across the street, a small parcel of land was the accompanying green space. Each had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom & a small patio. Interestingly, one house was left unoccupied & used for teaching “domestic science” while two other houses were used for teaching Christian principles.

A wonderfully executed idea, all units are now in need of major repairs. The clock tower is closed & crumbling, & someone has built a miniature grotto housing an image of the Immaculate Conception. It is sadly ironic that if left in its current condition, these units will eventually convert into the kind of housing that the Vincentinas were trying to eliminate.

Buenos Aires, Nueva Pompeya, Microbarrio San Vicente de Paul,1912

Source: “Gender, Welfare and the Catholic Church in Argentina: Conferencias de Señoras de San Vicente de Paul, 1890-1916″ by Karen Mead. Published in The Americas 58:1, July 2001.

Categories Nueva Pompeya

casa colectiva valentín alsina, 1919

26 Jan 2007 //

Inspired by the action of Azucena Butteler, numerous private & public schemes were proposed to acquire funds needed for housing projects. Some of the proposals were: government allocations directly controlled by Congress, a direct tax on Jockey Club members, or loans for low-income government employees underwritten by the Central Bank. It was finally decided that 75% of the Jockey Club’s profits from Thursday horse races were to be donated to a general housing construction fund. Money began to flow in, but how should the government use it?

Dr. Juan Cafferata from Córdoba province had plenty of ideas. As a member of the lower house of Congress, he proposed creating a commission which would oversee the construction of 500 units in 10 years. Adopted in 1915 after much debate, the first 4 years of the Comisión Nacional de Casas Baratas (CNCB) made little progress.

Most of the debate centered around what the state’s role would be once housing was built, & what kind of housing was best… Build units to sell directly & cheaply to workers? Have workers rent the units with the government as landlord like the Vincentinas? Build individual houses, semi-detached row housing, or apartment buildings? Those questions were important to answer because the national government never wanted to be the sole provider of welfare in Argentina. They wanted to develop a model to demonstrate to private investors that housing projects were viable & could benefit everyone. The inability to answer the above questions in a timely manner & provide a viable model negatively affected the Commission for years.

Casa Colectiva Valentín Alsina, 1919 • Parque Patricios
(Avenida Caseros & 24 de Noviembre)

As first President of the CNCB, Marcelo T. de Alvear favored apartment buildings with rental units. Four tracts of land were purchased in Buenos Aires, but only one building was finished during the first phase of the CNCB. It’s still standing in Parque Patricios. This casa colectiva, built in 1919, provided 30 2-bedroom & 37 1-bedroom apartments for a total of 67 units surrounding a central patio area. Each apartment had light, ventilation & a common meeting space… truly innovative for its time. It’s named after a former governor of Buenos Aires & Supreme Court justice whose son became Vice-President.

Buenos Aires, Parque Patricios, Casa Colectiva Valentín Alsina, 1919

Update (29 Jan 2011): Taken from the “IV Memoria de la Comisión Nacional de Casas Baratas, 1919-1920,” a cost-benefit analysis of the Casa Colectiva Valentín Alsina was carried out by an architect named Raúl Pasman. Remember that prices are in moneda nacional, the peso. Smaller apartments were rented at $25 per month, larger ones $35 per month. Three business locales on the ground floor were charged $150 per month. That’s a grand total of $2,425 per month or $29,100 yearly. 10% was deducted for annual maintenance, cleaning & taxes & left a sum of $26,190.

This calculation was made to determine when the complex would begin to show profit. The land was valued at $104,160 & construction costs were $733,000 = $837,160. 3% of the total is $25,115. So… given a stable currency & not accounting for inflation, 33 years would pass before the government began to see a net return on their investment. In other words, 1952.

Categories Parque Patricios

microbarrio monseñor espinosa, 1923

27 Jan 2007 //

Microbarrio Monseñor Espinosa, 1923 • Barracas
(Perdriel & California)

Contrasting greatly with the previous complex, these semi-detached chalets are like a little piece of paradise. Also built with fundraising money from the Unión Popular Católica Argentina, land was donated by the Pereyra Iraola & Herrera Vega families. Gardens cut through 60 units in a cross shape, & note that this is not the size of a city block… but it’s about half of an overly large block. In fact, the odd shape is due to following the diagonal line of the existing layout. Designed by Carlos Cucullu, it has been wonderfully maintained & I would love to live there.

Buenos Aires, Barracas, Microbarrio Monseñor Espinosa, 1923, Cucullu

Photos below from the inauguration of this housing project show just how undeveloped the neighborhood of Barracas was 100 years ago. Even the bird’s eye view from 1940 doesn’t show much around this microbarrio other than a few factories:

Buenos Aires, Barracas, Microbarrio Monseñor Espinosa, 1923

Buenos Aires, Barracas, Microbarrio Monseñor Espinosa, 1940

Buenos Aires, Barracas, Microbarrio Monseñor Espinosa, 1923

Inaugural photos used with permission of the Archivo General de la Nación.

Categories Barracas

casa chorizo

29 Jan 2007 //

Of the many different solutions proposed & built to solve the Argentine housing crisis, it’s easy to forget how innovative they really were. We’re used to seeing modern versions as apartment complexes & condominiums. Big deal. But it was the first time that they had ever been built in Argentina. One hundred years ago in Buenos Aires, none of those types of living quarters existed. Zero.

The norm was palatial estates for those who had money & more modest, individual homes for those who didn’t. Lot space was typically thin & narrow to take full advantage of the city block. The average BA city block is fairly large with a size set by colonial standards. Square after square was monotonously laid out & only changed when the grid plan had to follow the river’s coastline. In Recoleta, there are several spots where the grid shifts at a 45º angle & triangular city blocks are more common than squares. I always get turned around at Plaza Vicente López even after 10 years of living in Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires, city block division

Most everyone knows that the Spanish have an affinity for patios which dates back to Roman times. But Spanish-style houses in Buenos Aires with large interior patios never really caught on. Early constructions had L-shaped living quarters with a patio completing the box shape. Pictured below is the Casa de Liniers, one of the few surviving houses built prior to independence from Spain. Living quarters meet to form the “L” & create a patio which is only bordered by walls:

Buenos Aires, Microcentro, Monserrat, Casa de Liniers

So what do you do when the majority of lot space is long & thin? Stretch the L into a straight line.

The casa chorizo is one of Argentina’s claims to fame. Long & thin like a sausage (chorizo), this type of house put the rooms in a straight line, covered exterior doors with awnings & squeezed in a skinny patio. It’s an interesting use of space which provides a great deal of light & ventilation to each room. Imagine building a house the entire width of the lot & putting the patio in the back… certain interior rooms would be dark & not everyone gets a nature view. The breeze is blocked as well. It’s hard to find these houses in BA today.

Buenos Aires, casa chorizo plan

As the style became unpopular for single family homes, it was recycled for multi-unit buildings. Two identical doors next to each other are the key to finding these in Buenos Aires… they are in every neighborhood. One door is the private entrance to the street-side unit, & the other door leads down a narrow hallway to other apartments. Pretty ingenious although uncomfortable when it rains!!

Buenos Aires, casa chorizo plan

During my walks to check out some of the housing info, I noticed lots of houses built during the same period that the debate over worker housing took place. The final photo is a multi-unit version of the casa chorizo. Seeing the norm in early 20th-century housing helps explain why big apartment buildings weren’t easily accepted by everyone.

The norm was palatial estates for those who had money & more modest, individual homes for those who didn’t. Lot space was typically thin & narrow to take full advantage of the city block. The average BA city block is fairly large with a size set by colonial standards. Square after square was monotonously laid out & only changed when the grid plan had to follow the coast of a river. In Recoleta, there are several spots where the grid shifts at a 45º angle & triangular city blocks are more common than squares. I always get turned around at Plaza Vicente López even today.

Most everyone knows that the Spanish have an affinity for patios which dates back to Roman times. But Spanish-style houses in Buenos Aires with large interior patios never really caught on. Early constructions had L-shaped living quarters with a patio completing the box shape. So what do you do when lot space is long & thin? Stretch out the L into a straight line.

The casa chorizo is one of Argentina’s claims to fame. Lon

The norm was palatial estates for those who had money & more modest, individual homes for those who didn’t. Lot space was typically thin & narrow to take full advantage of the city block. The average BA city block is fairly large with a size set by colonial standards. Square after square was monotonously laid out & only changed when the grid plan had to follow the coast of a river. In Recoleta, there are several spots where the grid shifts at a 45º angle & triangular city blocks are more common than squares. I always get turned around at Plaza Vicente López even today.

Most everyone knows that the Spanish have an affinity for patios which dates back to Roman times. But Spanish-style houses in Buenos Aires with large interior patios never really caught on. Early constructions had L-shaped living quarters with a patio completing the box shape. So what do you do when lot space is long & thin? Stretch out the L into a straight line.

The casa chorizo is one of Argentina’s claims to fame. Long & thin like a sausage (chorizo), this type of house put the rooms in a straight line, covered exterior doors with awnings & squeezed in a skinny patio. It’s an interesting use of space which provides a great deal of light & ventilation to each room. Imagine building a house the entire width of the lot & putting the patio in the back… certain interior rooms would be dark & not everyone gets a nature view. The breeze is blocked as well. It’s hard to find these houses in BA today.

g & thin like a sausage (chorizo), this type of house put the rooms in a straight line, covered exterior doors with awnings & squeezed in a skinny patio. It’s an interesting use of space which provides a great deal of light & ventilation to each room. Imagine building a house the entire width of the lot & putting the patio in the back… certain interior rooms would be dark & not everyone gets a nature view. The breeze is blocked as well. It’s hard to find these houses in BA today.

Categories Architecture

microbarrio la colonia, 1914

04 Feb 2007 //

Initially I hadn’t planned on writing about this particular housing project, but Friday I spent a couple hours at the Instituto Histórico & found an article about it written by the Institute back in 1987. Since there is relatively little info anywhere else about this, I thought I’d post it for anyone who might be interested.

Microbarrio La Colonia, 1914 • Parque Patricios
(Cachí & José A. Cortejarena)

This tiny neighborhood occupies the space of a single city block with 116 units. No one living there in 1987 remembered the origin of the name “La Colonia,” but the residents’ best guess is that since almost everyone was of Italian or Spanish decent, it was like an overseas immigrant “colony.” Perhaps it’s because a neighborhoods like this was termed a “workers colony” or “colonia obrera” back in the day… usually built to house workers of a nearby factory.

Land was purchased by the city government in 1909 with financial support from the Jockey Club, & in 1914 the first tenants moved in. Similar to the Microbarrio San Vicente de Paul (only 6 blocks away), the units were originally rented & administered by the Vincentinas. Occupants were given the option of buying their mini-house in 1954 with a possible 30-year mortgage. Here’s the interesting part… someone still had their original title with the purchase price listed: $25,260 moneda nacional to be paid in installments of 121 m$n over 360 months (final value: 43,560 m$n).

But what does that mean in US dollars? According to Wikipedia, the sale price would have been only U$S 1,000 with monthly installments of about U$S 5. Sounds like a bargain today. It would be incredibly interesting to find out the average worker’s salary in 1954 in Argentina, compare it to 1950′s US salaries, then compare real estate markets of both countries during the same period. That’s the only way I know of understanding the true value of the sale price… Someone else will have to take up that job :)

Houses are small… about the size of what most people these days would consider appropriate for a living room. The majority are in good condition today & the fountain in the center is wonderful. A few people bought adjacent lots & enlarged their living space (both up & out). Directly to the east is the beautiful Plaza José C. Paz with dozens of tall Araucaria trees & makes for a great playground. It’s really a haven of peace just out of reach of two busy avenues.

Buenos Aires, Parque Patricios, Microbarrio La Colonia, 1914

Since there isn’t much of a local market nearby, I saw something interesting when I went to take the above pics… a city-sponsored, mobile market set up nearby. It must come weekly, sell fresh produce & go to another part of town the next day. I had no idea those existed, much less run by the city government. Very cool.

Source: Historias de Buenos Aires, Año 1, Nº 3, Junio 1987. “Un barrio obrero en Parque Patricios”

Categories Parque Patricios

barrio cafferata, 1921

07 Feb 2007 //

For all the private donations & construction projects I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the federal Comisión Nacional de Casas Baratas (CNCB) had only one building complete by 1920. Large tracts of land purchased by the government sat empty while legislators debated on the best (& most affordable) way to build housing projects. I’m not sure whether it was embarrassment at their years of inaction or merely a decision to experiment, but the early 1920′s were a busy time for the CNCB.

Barrio Cafferata, 1921 • Parque Chacabuco
(Avenida José M. Moreno & Salas)

In contrast to their first project—the Casa Colectiva Valentín Alsina—this time the CNCB opted for individual chalets rather than a big, bulky apartment building. They even named it after the Congressman who began the social housing movement. Due to Dr. Cafferata’s contributions, most porteños have a tendency to call every mini-neighborhood built by the CNCB a “Barrio Cafferata”… which makes finding accurate info a problem. Vecinos, sólo hay uno :)

The layout denotes a series of row houses centered around an oval-shaped park. Some of the street names clearly refer to social trends of the time, such as Igualdad (Equality) & Fraternidad (Brotherhood). 97 3-bedroom units & 63 4-bedroom units were built for a total of 160 small houses. Walking around the neighborhood today, it’s still beautifully maintained & peaceful but there is very little that remains from 1921. The oval park is completely fenced off & is now occupied by a school. Most houses have been modified, either enlarged or rebuilt. The general style is still one of chalets, but the modernity gives it a suburban feel. The photos below show a few of the original units remaining. The CNCB obviously didn’t think windows were very important:

Buenos Aires, Parque Chacabuco, Barrio Cafferata, 1921

Source: Diccionario de Arquitectura en la Argentina, published by Clarín.

Update (29 Jan 2011): After publication of this series in 2007, much more information is available online about the development of housing projects in Buenos Aires. At last! Profesor Sebastián Matías Otero has written a lengthy document (in Spanish) about Barrio Cafferata & Barrio Emilio Mitre. Full of detailed background information, Otero published a fantastic bibliography so anyone interested in this topic & do their own research. Gracias!

Categories Parque Chacabuco

barrio alvear 1, 1923

08 Feb 2007 //

This area is a bit confusing & takes some imagination to understand. But we’ll figure it out together.

Barrio Alvear I, 1923 • Parque Avellaneda
(Avenida Juan B. Alberdi & Avenida Olivera)

My first dilemma was pinpointing which neighborhood it belongs to. The only major online source of info about this area is about the barrio of Floresta. Confusingly, the boundaries of Floresta are just outside where this enormous housing project was planned… but their online description of this area was appreciated nonetheless.

Comparing the original plan with what is currently there, I wandered around trying to make sense of what had happened. Plans had definitely gone astray. The original CNCB project was to build an enormous series of chalets, subdividing what would now be considered 5 or 6 city blocks. This map was all I had to go on:

Buenos Aires, Parque Avellaneda, Barrio Alvear, 1923

50 units were in place by 1923, & in 1926, 77 more units were added… 127 houses total. Those units cover a small but distinct area easily visible on a city map in the northwest corner (the area with no green space). Nothing like the planned, kite-shaped barrio existed. Keep in mind that the image below was not available in 2007 when this post was originally published. The city government’s map was amazing & everyone talked about it, but it wasn’t as detailed as it is today:

Buenos Aires, Parque Avellaneda, Barrio Alvear I, 1923

Unlike the Barrio Cafferata houses, most of these seemed intact from the 1920s. The idea of owning a chalet in Buenos Aires is appealing & at least four were for sale. I could have called to find out the current asking price, but I’m not that much of an investigative reporter :) The chimneys are spectacular:

Buenos Aires, Parque Avellaneda, Barrio Alvear, 1923

The rest of the area is occupied by four other housing projects from much later eras, with styles from the 1940′s to the 1970′s. Also present are a large brick church, a sports club & no less than three technical schools. Apparently since the city government already owned the land, every time a housing project was suggested, it was put in what was supposed to be all of the Barrio Alvear.

It’s a bizarre little bit of decades of housing projects built in a relatively small area. But it’s no surprise that the original project was never completed. Argentina relied heavily on Europe for importing construction materials, & World War I slowed down all government-sponsored projects. Construction costs more than doubled from the amount originally projected (from $60/m2 to $140/m2). Final costs for houses went from $7,000 to $15,000… very much out of league for workers whose monthly income was $120. Affordable housing costs averaged 25-30% of monthly salaries, & the CNCB wanted to sell units at $5,000. The math just didn’t work out.

The other projects will be covered in future posts & linked here as well.

Sources: Boletín del Honorable Consejo Deliberante, 1939 & Diccionario de Arquitectura en la Argentina, published by Clarín.

Categories Parque Avellaneda

fermín bereterbide

11 Feb 2007 //

Fermín Bereterbide, architect One architect stood out among all others during the era when social housing projects were being built in Buenos Aires. Due to political beliefs, he was ostracized from the academic community & died in obscurity in 1979. Only since his death has he been given the attention & recognition which he deserves…

Fermín Bereterbide graduated from the Universidad de Buenos Aires in 1918 & immediately began changing the urban landscape. In fact, he was one of the city’s first urban planners… someone who believed that the structure of the city itself determined the quality of life for its residents. Always innovative, one of the constants in Bereterbide’s career was the belief that housing projects for the underclass were very beneficial to the city. Take care of your poor & everyone benefits. Pretty simple.

Bereterbide won a number of city contests for housing projects & had many of them built in the 1920s, but it was his urbanistic views which generated controversy. Actively participating in architectural digests, city government planning organtizations & other local committees, Bereterbide took every opportunity to make his opinions public. For example, when he lost the contest for the development of Avenida Norte-Sur (today known as Avenida 9 de Julio with its large obelisk), Bereterbide continually protested the avenue’s current look. He wanted an underground vehicle tunnel built for speed while ground level was to become a core for government offices & parks. Even though I like the obelisk, his plan would have been more functional & definitely more beautiful than what is there today.

Buenos Aires, Avenida 9 de Julio, Fermín Bereterbide

With the 1934 booklet “What is Urbanism?”, Bereterbide drew examples from all over the world in order to convince local architects that urban planning on a broad socio-economic scale (even including Gran Buenos Aires) was necessary to improve everyone’s quality of life. His quote from a 1939 city government bulletin says it best:

What is lacking is not money, land or demand; what we’re missing (& this is where the problem lies) is a notion of humanity, trust in those concerned about this issue & the will to make things happen.

When an earthquake destroyed the city of San Juan in 1944, his plan to construct an entirely new city (instead of just rebuild what had collapsed) drew a lot of criticism. Not accepted, it was the beginning of his downfall. Very anti-Peronist in his politics, Bereterbide refused to acknowledge President Perón at an award ceremony given for a project he had won. Later, he spent time in jail for his political beliefs & was even kicked out of his professional organization, the Sociedad General de Arquitectos. One major housing project was built in 1955 with Bereterbide all but disappearing after that.

Leaving behind an important legacy, Bereterbide’s housing projects (those built & those never constructed) will be the topic of the next posts in this series.

Sources: Boletín del Honorable Concejo Deliberante, 1939 • ¿Qué es el Urbanismo? by Ernesto Vautier & Fermín Bereterbide • Diccionario de Arquitectura en la Argentina published by Clarín • Historias de la Ciudad, Año 3, #14.

Categories Architects

la mansión de flores, 1924

14 Feb 2007 //

Buenos Aires, Flores, La Mansión de Flores, 1924

Social do-gooder architect Fermín Bereterbide didn’t waste much time. After graduating in 1918, his first major contest win was only 2 years later for a housing project to be located in Flores, sponsored by the Unión Popular Católica Argentina. But winning the contest didn’t mean it was built right away. The UPCA had to find land at an affordable price, & they finally found what they were looking for… right by the railroad tracks. As part of a purchase/donation, half of a city block was available for Bereterbide’s winning design in 1923. Construction took less than one year.

La Mansión de Flores, 1924 • Flores
(Yerbal & Gavilán)

To my knowledge, this was the first time anyone had designed multiple-unit buildings each with access to garden space in Buenos Aires. The standard casa chorizo had the patio to the side & the casa colectiva had a patio without greenery in the middle, but Bereterbide’s design combined the best of both worlds. I’ve read a few articles that tend to belittle his design, claiming that it was influenced heavily by Italian & American projects of the time. So what? Bereterbide was the first to do it successfully in Buenos Aires. He at least deserves credit for that. Plus, he did it well.

Buenos Aires, Flores, La Mansión de Flores, 1924

Five separate buildings of four floors each form a U-shape with patios & green space filling in the gaps. A wall separates the complex from the Once train line (not sure if the wall was part of the original design or not). Some units have the luxury of pergolas, but they are the fortunate few. There are 86 apartments total with 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms. This small space was designed to be a self-contained community. Streetside units were filled with all the necessary shops: butcher, baker, general goods, etc. There was even a room meant to serve as a local cinema… fairly innovative for a 1920′s design.

Buenos Aires, Flores, La Mansión de Flores, 1924

The look of the complex stands out in the urban mish-mash of Buenos Aires. Exposed brick & colored, geometric awnings are definitely not the norm here. Even though it doesn’t look like it is in very good condition, I think it’s remarkable that it’s still standing. Sorry the photos aren’t better, but it was a grim morning when I was out & about.

Buenos Aires, Flores, La Mansión de Flores, 1924

While I was taking the above pics, I heard a woman from across the street yelling something in my general direction. When I crossed, the gal with 2 dogs said I should take photos from the back side, after crossing the railroad tracks. Turned out that she lived there so I got to find out all sorts of inside info. Living there since 2002, she claimed the administration of the complex was a mess. Pipes needed replacing, general maintenance was left undone, & it was all controlled by two little, old ladies that didn’t want to spend a dime on repairs. The best scoop was that one of the smaller units recently sold for U$S47,500. I love how most porteños value their neighborhood & stop to chat… she would have taken me inside but was walking the dogs. I’ll just have to go back :)

Sources: Diccionario de Arquitectura en la Argentina, published by Clarín • Historias de la Ciudad, Sep 2001 (found on Defensoría del Pueblo website)

Update (26 Jan 2011): The building administration responsible for upkeep in La Mansión de Flores has taken a proactive step & posted all property repairs & resolutions in their own blog. It’s an interesting way to observe the inner workings of one of these mini-neighborhoods.

Categories Flores