In 1999 -with a recession on the rise and convertibility beginning to fray- former President Carlos Menem presented a pharaonic project:
the construction of a Judicial City in Parque Patricios
.
A mega building 150 meters long and 20 stories high to house 216 courts and 5,000 employees.
It was merely an announcement, because the work never went forward.
The property, which was left deserted in parts, was later transformed into a plaza and had other uses, but its future worries the residents of the neighborhood.
It is
the Vuelta de Obligado square
, between Combate de los Pozos, Pichincha and Brasil streets, and Garay avenue;
It is linked to the Garrahan
Pediatric Hospital
by a bridge.
The square is also called
"El campito".
And unlike the rest of the green spaces in the City, this property of
more than eight blocks
has a sole owner,
the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation.
Most of this expanse is grass, but
without proper maintenance
, barren.
At one end, towards Combate de los Pozos, the Buenos Aires Polo Circus
operated , today totally abandoned
by the Buenos Aires Ministry of Culture.
You can still see the tents, but broken and vandalized.
They provide a dystopian vision that does not help the neighborhood.
In the Plaza Vuelta de Obligado it worked in Polo Circo, now abandoned and vandalized.
Photo: Juan Manuel Foglia
In the 70s
it was a sports center
, even with public pools that some residents still remember.
It was also used by the Federal Police.
Despite being a large green space, today it generates
more problems than benefits
.
The maintenance is precarious, it does not have a design that links the few uses it has, it generates insecurity due to the low lighting.
There are
two playgrounds, both in disrepair;
one of them old, with hammocks and a slide made of iron and wood.
There are
people living on the streets.
And there are also precarious uses such as, for example, a fenced soccer field that belongs to a civil association.
Towards the sidewalk that overlooks the avenue, there is
a renowned Buenos Aires orchard, "Huerta de Garay",
with almost 25 years of history.
During the pandemic they suffered eight robberies and feared for usurpation.
They stole jugs, garden tools and destroyed part of the furniture, from a refrigerator to a toilet.
Those who manage the garden in the Vuelta de Obligado square fear that the place will be intruded due to the lack of security.
Photo: Juan Manuel Foglia
"We recovered, we moved on, but we need help to maintain security on the perimeter," asked Nélida Santamaría, 81, who has been in charge of the garden for decades.
She told
Clarín
that organic garden workshops are held there, coordinated by INTA.
They are dictated to all and all the neighbors who approach and also to primary and secondary schools.
"And whoever wants to come see what we do," she added.
The important thing for Nélida is to keep the place in use and functioning.
Now they are with a claim before the City to recover the light.
Buenos Aires government sources explained that the orchard had a permit "at some point."
While the court of the civil association, would not have any authorization.
Who does the maintenance depend on?
The president of Commune 4 (Barracas, La Boca, Nueva Pompeya and Parque Patricios) spoke with
Clarín
and explained: "We have 154 green spaces in our neighborhoods. We would be in a position to also take charge of the maintenance of this square. But it
is not property of the City.
What we do is partial maintenance of the playground, the one that faces Pichincha street," explained Ignacio Alvarez, of the Frente de Todos.
Vestiges of what was the Polo Circo in Vuelta de Obligado square, in Parque Patricios.
Photo: Juan Manuel Foglia
But
the games are old and deteriorated
.
What possibilities are there to place the new playgrounds that are seen in other Buenos Aires squares (such as Vicente López or Alemania)?
"With the budget of our commune, it is impossible to place these patios. However, the City could give us an extra budget and we could place them and do the maintenance. It would be very important. I am convinced that if we have a quality public space, well cared for and maintained accordingly, the neighbors would take care of him", he evaluated.
He said that soon the commune will renew the games in Parque España, in Barracas.
The uses of the square change radically between the week and the weekends.
Soccer and other sports championships
are held on Saturdays and Sundays
and many times the atmosphere becomes "dense", according to the residents.
"They play for money, so it's inevitable that things get thick.
And no one can say anything, because there are a lot of people, hundreds of people.
Cars go up to the plaza, motorcycles, they make barbecues or choripanes
. Obviously, everything is dirty afterwards Everything is so bizarre that there is even a desk where those who organize "work,"
a neighbor told
Clarín .
In addition to the difficulties that arise from the property, the issue of security is another concern.
Another neighbor accompanies this medium to Pasco at 1300 and signals a neighborhood alarm.
As in many other AMBA neighborhoods, in Parque Patricios the residents are also organized with their WhatsApp and even
an alarm with loudspeakers to at least try to dissuade criminals.
The vegetable garden in Plaza Vuelta de Obligado has been there for 25 years.
Photo: Juan Manuel Foglia
The organized residents of Manzana 66 - who fought for the construction of a plaza in Balvanera - began to disseminate and make this problem visible.
And to share the experience of what was the struggle to get a green space for the neighborhood: "It is
a beautiful space that needs to be taken advantage of
, not only for the neighborhood, but for the families that go through hard times in the hospital. The few trees that survive are watered and cared for by the neighbors. The City owes us green and having this space wasted is cruelty," said Alberto Aguilera, a reference for Manzana 66.
Buenos Aires government sources reported that they never had any indication that the Court showed the intention of ceding the land or handing over some kind of usufruct to allow this green space to be used.
But at the same time, the construction of a Judicial City has no project or announcement.
These are the reasons why the neighbors lament the abandonment to which this enormous property succumbs.
In the Vuelta de Obligado square, in Parque Patricios, there is a soccer field where matches are played for money on weekends.
Photo: Juan Manuel Foglia.
SC
look too
Oblivion and abandonment: the chapel that is a hidden treasure of the City and is used as a warehouse for a hospital
The historic building that was the headquarters of a Bank and will now have departments