Retiro, Buenos Aires

Coordinates: 34°35′41″S 58°22′33″W / 34.59472°S 58.37583°W / -34.59472; -58.37583
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Retiro
Comuna
C1
Important sitesRetiro Railway Station,

Calle Florida,

ART
)

Retiro is a barrio or neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Located in the northeast end of the city, Retiro is bordered on the south by the Puerto Madero and San Nicolás, and on the west by the Recoleta.

History

Towards the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th was installed in the area, an

asiento of slaves belonging to the Compagnie de Guinée and South Sea Company, that operated until 1739.[2]

In 1800 began the construction of

British army, occurred during the English invasions of 1806 and 1807.[4]

In 1821 was installed the first dissident cemetery of Buenos Aires, located in the vicinity of Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Socorro. This cemetery was place were buried the people who professed the Protestant religion, mostly English. The dissident cemetery operated in the neighborhood of Retiro until 1833, and was transferred that same year to the neighborhood of Balvanera.[5]

In 1854, was established in the neighborhood the Compañía Primitiva de Gas de Buenos Aires Ltda., a British gas company, that worked until it was nationalized in 1944.[6]

In 1910 the British residents of Buenos Aires financed the construction of the Torre de los Ingleses (renamed in 1982 to Torre Monumental), on the occasion of the centenary of the May Revolution. The work was entrusted to the English architect Ambrose Macdonald Poynter,[7] being inaugurated by the president Victorino de la Plaza on May 24, 1916 .[8]

Urban character

Aerial view of Plaza San Martín and its surroundings.
The northern end of Avenida Leandro N. Alem.

Retiro is one of the largest hubs of transportation services in Argentina, and is home to many high-end stores and residential areas popular among both local wealthy gentry and expatriate executives. About 26,000 of its people, however, including thousands of

Buenos Aires Metro system and numerous local public bus services, this area is always teeming with commuters and traffic on weekdays.[10]

A major thoroughfare is Avenida del Libertador, which becomes Avenida Leandro N. Alem past the Retiro train terminal. Avenida Leandro Alem runs north-to-south along the Buenos Aires Central Business District, which Retiro shares with the San Nicolás ward; the Retiro section of the business district is centered on the Catalinas Norte office park, initially built in the 1970s over docklands developed a century earlier by Francisco Seeber. Other principal streets and avenues in Retiro are Santa Fe, Córdoba, and Libertador Avenues, pedestrian Calle Florida, and Avenida 9 de Julio.[10]

The Retiro section of Calle Florida was the site of

Ambassador of Brazil.[13]

Retiro is home to a number of

bombed on March 17, 1992, with a toll of 29 dead and 242 wounded, marking the first known South American incident of Middle East-related terrorism.[10]

The numerous government agencies headquartered in the district include the

immigrants
from 1911 to 1953, is also in Retiro and today serves as a national museum.

Plaza San Martín

Main article: Plaza San Martín (Buenos Aires)

Across the street opposite Retiro train terminal is the leafy

Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers, and the modern-day Plaza San Martín features an equestrian monument to the hero of the Argentine War of Independence, as well as a memorial to the dead in the Falklands War.[10]

The most significant landmark opposite the plaza is the

International Style
.

District of Retiro

References

  1. ^ "The emblems of the 48 barrios of Buenos Aires were presented" (Spanish) by ámbito.com August 29, 2011
  2. ^ "Historia argentina: Los tiempos españoles, 1492-1805". José María Rosa. 1965.
  3. ISBN 9789871033188
  4. ISBN 9789871245109
    .
  5. ^ "Todo es historia, Temas420-425". Todo es historia. 2002.
  6. ^ "Primer Congreso Nacional de Hidrocarburos--Petróleo y Gas". Instituto Argentino del Petróleo. 1982.
  7. ISBN 9781783104154
    .
  8. ^ "Anuario argentina, ilustrada para el turista y hombre de negocios". River Plate Publishing Company. 1948.
  9. ^ Aprobaron urbanizar la villa 31 de Retiro (Spanish)
  10. ^ a b c d "Retiro". Barriada.
  11. ^ "Planean la reapertura de la histórica tienda Harrods". Clarín. 22 March 2009.
  12. ^ "Por segunda vez en su historia, abrió el Palacio Ortiz Basualdo". La Nación. 2008-09-22.
  13. ^ "Palacio Pereda". Embassy of Brazil. Archived from the original on 2011-04-05.
  14. ^ "El Kavanagh y sus 70 años de historias". La Nación. 2006-01-03.

External links

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34°35′41″S 58°22′33″W / 34.59472°S 58.37583°W / -34.59472; -58.37583

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