The restoration and enhancement work on the façade of the
London building
, one of the
heritage icons of Avenida de Mayo,
has just been completed .
Located on the corner of the Peru pedestrian street, it was built by the British architect Edwin Merry for the Ortiz Basualdo family.
Its dome is a beacon in this area of the City and its terraces, authentic viewpoints.
Witness of the open-air construction of
line A of the Buenos Aires subway
, since 1954 it has had one of the most famous notable bars in its basement,
the London City
.
The Schwarz & Marolda tailor shop and the Gath & Chaves department store annex were also
illustrious occupants
of this building.
And only 20 years after its inauguration (1890) it was subjected to a major transformation, at the hands of the Italian architect Salvador Mirate, who gave it the current dome.
Today, completely empty inside,
it is available for rent
.
Or maybe sold?
After this restoration, its owners anticipate that it can be transformed into a corporate building, offices or even homes -permanent and/or temporary-, as Buenos Aires regulations now allow.
The restoration work took six months and focused on the façade and the recovery of the dome, which, on the other hand,
has a feature that distinguishes it from the majority
: its height and its physiognomy.
The building was renovated in 1910 and a new dome was built.
Photo Emmanuel Fernandez
Although it is not the only dome of this style in the City, it has
few competitors
.
One of them is the Callao Surgical Institute, on the corner of that avenue and Lavalle.
It has a monumental dimension and is currently undergoing restoration work.
The London one put the artisanal task of replacing slates to the test.
In some parts the dome was missing: "Many of them had to be replaced. On the one hand, some were worn by the passage of time. But there were also parts of the dome that were outdoors, rainwater entered the interior"
Juan Llames, the architect in charge of the restoration,
told
Clarín .
All light and spaciousness towards the interior of the building.
Photo Emmanuel Fernandez
They also removed synthetic paint from the facade.
"Over time this paint peels off and removes the original material, which is imitation stone. We removed and cleaned the paint with steam and imitation stone was applied to
return it to its original appearance
," explained the architect.
A curiosity: Calls told
Clarín
that while searching for information and documentation about the building he found a plan in which
a direct access to the subway is identified
.
That access does not exist, but it is evident that at some point someone thought that they could connect the building with the Perú subway station.
The balconies on the sixth floor and the views towards the Cabildo and Plaza de Mayo.
Photo Emmanuel Fernandez
"This dome is not the original, but rather it replaced another one," explains Marga Fabbri, architect and plastic artist (@mirarmiradores on IG).
"The previous one was smaller, and the slates were in the shape of fish scales. When the company Gath & Chaves moved to this building, they carried out a major remodeling. They changed the openings, expanded the openings and thus also modified the interior spaces. No It is clear why they changed the dome, perhaps the original one was in poor condition.
"It's a slender dome," Fabbri describes.
And also "beautiful and disproportionate to the size and height of the building."
Its height is impressive.
And unlike its predecessor's slates, these are rectangular.
The building in its origin, prior to the modification of 1910. Circa 1895. Image Witcomb Collection, General Archive of the Nation AGN
From inside the dome it is striking that the slates are fixed directly on the wooden structure;
There is nothing between the parties
.
Fabbri explains: "It was not waterproofed because the rainwater runs off the steep slope. That is, the water will fall before entering, even if there is wind. It is very well built and the slates overlap very well. In any case, "They are domes that are not designed to be inhabited, so if some water were to enter, it would simply dry out or evaporate."
In the future, the owners will request a permit that will allow them to convert a technical terrace (today with air conditioning equipment) into
an accessible terrace
, which can be used as a viewing point.
Detail of the dome and needle finish;
behind, Palas Atenea of the La Prensa building.
Photo courtesy of @lareinadelascupulas
Adriana Cichero (she is @lareinadelascupulas on IG) has geolocated the dome of this building in the enormous survey she carries out of all those that exist in the City.
Her post about this work earned her many messages from her followers, where they share her memories about this annex of what was the Gath & Chaves store.
"The views towards Peru-Florida and Avenida de Mayo are beautiful. The owners also confirmed to me that the top floor of the building will be a SUM. It will be available for the people who work and live there. But the idea is that events can also be organized, which opens the opportunity for more people to get to know the place. It is important that
these sites of such heritage value become popular
, that everyone can enjoy them," he encouraged.
Behind the London appears the Casa Escasany tower and clock.
Photo courtesy of @lareinadelascupulas
It would definitely
be a unique viewpoint
.
Just to mention the most famous neighbors: London is "closed" to La Prensa.
A few meters away you can see the Greek goddess of science and wisdom, Pallas Athena, crowning this building.
Enormous, the proximity allows giving dimension to this sculpture that measures five and a half meters high and is made of bronze.
Towards the Río de la Plata, through the leafy plane tree grove, appears the Cabildo tower and the detail that cannot be seen from the street, the small tiled dome.
Beyond, the Plaza de Mayo, the ministerial buildings and the Casa Rosada in the background.
Palas Atenea of the La Prensa building, from the London terrace.
Photo Emmanuel Fernandez
Towards the south, the tower with dome and clock of the Legislature Palace can also be seen very close.
Every quarter of an hour you can hear the sound of its five bells: Las Patricias, La Pinta, La Niña, La Porteña and La Argentina.
A curiosity: the tower clock controlled the movement of 80 other clocks distributed throughout the building.
A few meters further to the south you can see the two domed towers of the Otto Wulff, located on the corner of Belgrano Avenue.
The one on the left ends with a sun;
the one on the right, with a crown.
The dome is accessible.
Its structure is made of wood.
Photo Emmanuel Fernandez
Towards the north, on the corner of Rivadavia and Perú, another impressive clock tower looms, but not as well-known as that of the Legislature, it is
Casa Escasany
.
Its grandiloquence has a reason: it was the most important jewelry - and artisanal items - company in the country, it had 1,500 employees and branches in all the provinces.
Then, also to the north, a succession of monumental constructions can be seen: the famous five domes on the corner of Diagonal Norte and Florida.
ACE