The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

The Venetian palace from which an Olympic champion emerged and they seek to rescue from oblivion

2021-08-09T09:59:39.932Z


The Club Canottieri Italiano club is the only one of its kind in South America. It is in Tigre and keeps historical treasures. The rower Tranquilo Capozzo came out of his changing rooms, who won the medal together with Eduardo Guerrero.


Karina Niebla

08/09/2021 6:01 AM

  • Clarín.com

  • Cities

Updated 08/09/2021 6:01 AM

It is

the only Venetian-style palace in South America.

His forehead wears

Olympic rings

, because from there came the only

Argentine gold medal in Helsinki 52

. It has stained glass windows, frescoes and a facade with a medieval air. But the centenary

Club Canottieri Italiano is only

beginning to be restored just now, just as it is going through a historic drop in membership. Crisis is opportunity.

Because, with the idea of ​​adding partners, this Saturday started the first

guided tours

for all audiences in the history of

Canotto

, as its partners call it. An opening that could have a side effect: to draw attention to this unique building, to make known this gem overshadowed by the other rowing clubs and the gastronomic bustle near the river station.

“Never again will a building like this be built and it is a pity that it is deteriorating. We are putting our soul into it to maintain it but there are jobs that take a lot of money. That is why it is

key to get funds.

We want it to be declared a National Historic Landmark ”, explains Florencia Colman (48), the

first woman to chair the club

. The daughter of life partners, she was born with the green and red shovel in her hand.

It is those colors that distinguish the Canottieri, along with its wooden boats, some of which are 100 years old.

These boats are a registered trademark of the club, to which a good part of the little that is saved per month goes, now that

its members have gone from 750 to 350

.

Maintaining them is a cost in itself.

So is training one of your workers in the missing job of repairing them.

Tomás Gally paddles at the Canottieri Italian club, and in Tigre, and organizes guided tours of this architectural heritage.

Photo: German Garcia Adrasti

Thus there is little room to prevent the building from continuing to age.

The

Latin phrases

written on one of the sides of the tower were erased by the leaks from the water tank.

One of the two stained glass windows with Venetian scenes in his hall of honor received a ball years ago and is supported with a sheet similar to contact paper.

The lack of funds to tackle these problems did not prevent more accessible improvements.

The corridors and the main hall were painted.

The tower was waterproofed with an asphalt membrane, to prevent moisture from continuing to advance.

The endless series of original white wooden lockers was restored, which carry over to the uses and customs

of a century ago.

The Olympic rings of the centenary Club Canottieri Italiano in honor of Tranquilo Capozzo, who together with Eduardo Guerrero won gold in Helsinki 1952. Photo: Germán García Adrasti

An atmosphere of other times that can be seen not only in the imposing façade.

Also in the details: the classic Koken barber chair that traveled from Missouri to one of the changing rooms, the delicate carved cabinets that once housed clocks and today hide electrical panels,

signs in Italian everywhere,

including his restaurant Vivanco, located on the same property.

The club's Olympic rings refer to the

gold medal won

at the Helsinki 1852 games by Tranquilo Capozzo, who was a member of the club, and Eduardo Guerrero.

It was the last first gold until 2004.

The spaces of the centenary Club Canottieri Italiano keep secrets of more than a hundred years of history.

Photo: Germán García Adrasti

These traditional airs contrast with the new blood injected by his current star rowers, such as

Carmela Colombo (19) and Federico Martí (20)

.

Or that of some of those who took on the task of spreading the word about the institution's work and the beauty of its headquarters, such as

Tomás Gally

(33), who has been rowing in the Canotto for just four months but already organizes guided tours to the club.

In them you walk through the main staircase and the hall of honor: a century of history in its fabrics, wood and stucco;

a few more in the stained glass scenes and in his two stucco frescoes.

One of them represents Saint George against the Dragon, the other shows

Americo Vespucci making the first map of the continent that bears his name. 

The changing rooms of the centenary Club Canottieri Italiano, with their restored white lockers.

Photo: Germán García Adrasti

The main hall, the secretariat, the changing rooms and the terrace are also visited, which gives a privileged view of the property, the river and the medieval motifs of the tower.

And, of course,

the botería with its historic wooden

and modern fiberglass

boats

, which is a rowing club after all.

“The idea is to have

a free and open monthly visit

, to attract members,” explains Gally as he guides the journey of this journal and mentions other completed tasks.

Among them, the water-washing of windows and moldings, the cleaning of the façade finishes, and the painting and caulking of the secondary staircase, snail.

Even

the fabric cables

had to be

changed.

The stained glass windows of the centenary Club Canottieri Italiano.

Photo: Germán García Adrasti

Overlooking the river

In addition to continuing with the visits, in El Canotto they have another goal: to condition part of their bedrooms to offer

accommodation to tourists.

“Tigre does not have a lot of hotel space and we believe that we have a plus to offer: a Venetian palace facing the river, in a rowing club,” Colman emphasizes.

The rooms, located on the second floor, are accessed by the spiral staircase of the tower.

They are bright and spacious, and mostly overlook the front garden.

But they were not renovated in a century either and transforming them into accommodation will require work:

repairs, painting, furniture replacement.

Meanwhile, they are excited to get the declaration of a National Historic Monument, a process that would require "at least

a few months,"

trusts a specialized source on the subject.

For now, they have already begun to have conversations with the National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historical Assets, to put on paper a status as necessary as it is deserved.


The boats of the centenary Club Canottieri Italiano.

Photo: Germán García Adrasti

SC

Source: clarin

All news articles on 2021-08-09

You may like

Life/Entertain 2024-03-27T14:46:22.545Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.