Retiro, Buenos Aires
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Retiro is a is a district in Buenos Aires, Argentina, renowned for its train and bus terminals, and its high-end shopping and residences. Retiro is a popular residential area for rich Argentines and expatriate executives.
[edit] Urban character
-P3090002.JPG/240px-Buenos_Aires-Retiro(CatalinasNorte)-P3090002.JPG)
Retiro is one of the largest hubs of transportation service in Argentina; local and long distance rail service heading to the north originate from Estación Retiro (Retiro train terminal), also a major long-distance bus terminal Terminal de Omnibus is located adjacent to the station, subte line C of the Buenos Aires Metro system and numerous local public bus services, this area is always teeming with commuters and traffic on weekdays. Retiro is also home to one of the best-known slums in Buenos Aires, Villa 31, located on public lands belonging to the port of Buenos Aires and the main train terminal.
A major thoroughfare is Avenida Libertador, which changes its name to Leandro N. Alem after crossing Retiro train terminal. To the east of Leandro N. Alem avenue stands the high-rise business district of Catalinas Norte as well as the northern end of the Puerto Madero development. Other relevant streets are Santa Fe, pedestrian Florida Street, and 9 de Julio. When entire blocks of housing were razed to make way for 9 de Julio, the French embassy was spared due to its landmark status. To this day, the lone building in the midst of intense traffic is one of the landmarks of the neighborhood.
[edit] Plaza San Martín
Across the street opposite Retiro train terminal is in the leafy Plaza San Martín surrounded by great palaces and hotels. The Retiro lowlands were once the training grounds for José de San Martín's Granaderos corps, the modern-day Plaza San Martín features a statue of the independence hero on horseback, as well as the memorial for the dead in the 1982 Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas). Across Libertador avenue lies the train station and Plaza Fuerza Aérea Argentina (Argentine Air Force Square) where the Torre de los Ingleses (British Tower) is located, a monument donated by the Anglo-Argentine community for the 1910 centennial celebrations. The tower features a relief of the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom at its bottom, and suffered several acts of sabotage in the wake of the aforementioned conflict. The previous name of the square was Plaza Británica (British square).
Other significant landmarks opposite the Plaza are the the Kavanagh, a reinforced concrete structure finished in 1936 that was the tallest building in Latin America at 120 meters, and the Pirelli and Olivetti skyscrapers, which were among the tallest buildings in the city and featured significant architectural contributions. Near the Kavanagh, on the southern end of the park, is the northern end of Florida Street.
Also nearby are the Basilica Santísimo Sacramento and the Israeli Embassy, which was bombed on 17th March, 1992 with a toll of 29 dead and 242 wounded, which marked the arrival, for the first time, of Middle Eastern terrorism to South America.
[edit] Image gallery:
.jpg/90px-Torre_Monumental_(Buenos_Aires).jpg) Torre de los Ingleses (British Tower) |
-P3090004.JPG/120px-Buenos_Aires-Retiro(CatalinasNorte)-P3090004.JPG) "Catalinas Norte" section of Retiro |
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