Retiro, Palaces, and Shopping

At the north end of the shopping street Calle Florida sits Plaza San Martin. A large monument to Jose de San Martin may first catch your eye as you approach this public park. San Martin was an Argentine general who led Argentina to independence from the Spanish Empire. Today you may find businessmen in the park during lunch hours or dog walkers with more dogs than they can keep track of.

Jose Camilio Paz commissioned French Architect Louis-Marie Henri Sortais to design this palace in 1890. Paz gained his wealth after founding La Prense, a popular newspaper in Buenos Aires. Paz died in 1912 and the palace was finished in 1914, at which time it was inhabited by his widow and children until 1938. The Argentine Army purchased the building in 1938 to use as the headquarters for the Military social club and remains in use today for various events, and social gatherings.

This palace was designed by architect Alejandro Christophersen in 1905 for Mercedes Castellanos de Anchorena who lived here with his family until the 1930s. In 1936 the Argentine government purchased the palace to use as the Headquarters for the Ministry of Foreign Relations. In 1998 the administrative offices moved to the newer building across the street with a mirrored facade, reflecting the original palace and headquarters.

This memorial honors the Argentine solders who fell during the Malvinas War in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom. Argentina had claimed the Malvinas Islands (known as the Falklands outside of Argentina) as part of its nation, seeing as they are so close to the mainland, but its inhabitants were loyal to the British crown for at least 100 years up to that point. In 1982 Argentina declared war and sent an outnumbered and under-equipped army to fight for the land. The battle lasted 6 weeks, although the first 5 were spent waiting for the british army to arrive.

Today the memorial remembers the young soldiers who had nothing to fight with except their hearts and their love of their country. The memorial has 25 black plaques for each of the provinces of Argentina and is watched over by members of the three armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force).

If you arrived in Buenos Aires by train or bus you likely passed through Retiro Station, the main transit hub in the city. The station opened in 1915 and continues to be very busy to this day. While here, stop in one of the cafes for a nice lunch or afternoon espresso.

The Torre Monumental (or the Torre de los Ingleses--Tower of the English), or "Big Ben" as many tourists refer to it, was a gift from the local British community for the 100 year anniversary of the May Revolution of 1810. Most often, when you find a park or monument named after another country, it was offered as a gift from that country for some major celebration.

The Edificio Kavanagh (or Kavanaugh Building) was inaugurated in 1936, at which time it was the highest structure in the world to be created from reinforced concrete, and it remained the tallest building in South America for many years. It stands at 120m tall and was declared a National Historic Monument in 1999,. Today it houses 105 very upscale and expensive apartments.

Calle Florida stretches for almost a mile from the Plaza San Martin to a block away from the Plaza de Mayo. The street is pedestrian-only and is crowded with commercial stores and places to eat on either side and many street merchants in the middle. Even if you aren't looking to buy anything, you can come for the energy and various street performers.

This large shopping center was once the original home to the Museum Nacional de Bellas Artes (now in Recoleta). It was originally intended to be a link from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso in Chile (hence, Pacifico).

Today you will find many high-end stores and a number of places to eat on the basement floor.