Chacabuco Park
Chacabuco Park is a public park in the Parque Chacabuco section of Buenos Aires.
Overview
Situated over 3 mi (5 km) west of colonial Buenos Aires, land belonging to
Charles Thays, and was opened in 1909. Named in honor of the pivotal 1817 Battle of Chacabuco, it originally featured ornate entry gates, three football fields, as well as selected business installations, such as a dairy, bookstore and tree nursery.[2]
A number of athletic grounds were installed at the park in 1911, including a running track, tennis courts, swimming pools, and a bocce court. A school for special education was installed around 1920 and is still operated there, as are two primary schools and a physical education facility. One of the special education school's noted instructors was the ill-fated poet, Alfonsina Storni.[2]
The park became well known for its floral variety and selection of decorative sculptures, as well. A
Inca maidens (the Ñusta), a jaguar, and others.[3] The park was further complemented by the 1941 opening of the Church of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.[4]
The planned construction of a network of intra-city
freeways by the last dictatorship's Mayor, Osvaldo Cacciatore, led to the 1978 destruction of a wide, diagonal swath through the park.[1] The damage to the park (the area's principal green space) was only partially remedied by the 1981 opening of a sports complex and the 1984 construction of a cultural center under the freeway, itself.[4] Works initiated in January 2008 on new freeway on-ramps and off-ramps met with steadfast opposition from neighborhood groups, and their construction was suspended pending review.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Clarín
- ^ a b Nuevo Ciclo: Historia del Parque Chacabuco (in Spanish) Archived June 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hola Parque Chacabuco: esculturas (in Spanish)
- ^ a b Parque Chacabuco (in Spanish) Archived June 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine