Road to the Historic Center

Bahía Blanca was born in 1828, after the creation of the military fort Fortaleza Protectora Argentina, within the context of an advanced national policy on the territories. The founder of the city, Colonel Ramón Estomba, named that first population “Nueva Buenos Aires”, and its port as “Puerto de la Esperanza” (“Port of Hope”).

In 1884, the arrival of the railway consolidated the development of the city, and in the 20th century it was proposed as the capital of a new province.

PLAZA RIVADAVIA: A NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

Bahía Blanca main square has had different purposes throughout time. It was a wasteland, an animal corral, and a promenade surrounded by railings. In 1902 it was opened to the public. The main square received different names such as: Plaza de la Población, Plaza Argentina, Plaza, Gran Plaza Coronel Ramón Estomba, Plaza Municipal, and – since 1880 – Plaza Rivadavia.

The square has an incredible symmetric french design. In the center we can admire the monument to Bernardino Rivadavia. There are also two monuments: the English Fountain (facing Colón Ave.) and the Monument to the Israeli Community (facing Irigoyen Street). They were awarded by these foreign communities during the centennial celebrations of the city. In addition, a monument to Luis C. Caronti can be found across from the Town Hall, along with streetlights from 1925.

– Bernardino Rivadavia Monument

To celebrate the 100th ‘Revolución de Mayo’ (first Argentine government in 1810) anniversary, a monument was built in order to pay homage to Rivadavia. Around 1910, a contest was organized to analyze the different projects from many artists. Finally, Luis Rovatti´s piece of art was chosen, and it was inaugurated in 1946. After 50 years, the marvelous work was declared of National Artistic and Historical interest.

Being a statesman, Rivadavia is portrayed holding papers with his left hand. The statue used to have a burning torch. Nowadays, we can only see his birth and death dates.In the upper part, a female figure can be seen extending an arm holding a loaf of bread conveying the progress through agriculture. Finally, on both sides, as décor, are caryatids and atlantes (female and male figures, respectively).

– Monument for the Israeli Community

In 1928, the Israelí Community donated the monument for the 100th anniversary of Bahía Blanca. The work belongs to the sculptor Michael Yatvinsky as a tribute to Baron Mauricio de Hirsch. This rich man contributed with his fortune to encourage the arrival of Israelis, who were looking for new opportunities, to our country . This monument has four faces with bronze plaques made by the Argentine sculptor Israel Hoffman, symbolizing agriculture, industry and science. At its top, there is an ornamentation consisting of columns and a dome.

– Streetlights of 1925

They are lampposts in height, with columns in a ribbed base. They were installed in 1925, and have the name of the factory “Vasena” printed on them.

– The English Fountain

Gift from the English community in celebration of the Centenary of the city Foundation, the fountain represents the four elements of the progress of that time: navigation and railroad -provided by English immigrants- and agriculture and livestock -of national origin-. It is made of Carrara marble, ornamented, and with an obelisk. It is framed by four small pillars, holding a streetlamp each, with a figure of a child from which emanates water in the center of it. A curiosity of its design is that the representation of each face of the obelisk is oriented towards the physical places where the aforementioned activity takes place: the figure of the locomotive points towards the railway station, the ship points to the port, and so on.

TOWN HALL | 65 Alsina St.

The building, designed in 1904 and inaugurated in 1909, is located facing Plaza Rivadavia. It does not occupy a privileged position in comparison to the other buildings. However, the tower gives an impressive perception of the City Hall. In addition, the setback and the entrance formed by two curved esplanades, are reminiscent of classic French “port-cochere” designs -used in almost all the designs of the classical buildings.

The ground floor consists of two small side sections attached to their corresponding party walls. These are connected to a large central section in which various rooms open onto a rear courtyard. The display of the building revolves around a large double-height entrance hall, crowned by a skylight. Two marble staircases located in the corners lead to the upper floor, where the Heroes of Malvinas Hall stands out.

It has a symmetrical façade with a highlighted central axis and Bourbon reminiscences that had great significance in France in the 16th and 17th centuries. Another noteworthy detail is the balustrade of the balconies.

NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA MERCED CATHEDRAL| 72 Sarmiento St.

The cathedral was inaugurated on July 9, 1900, and was designed by the architect Luis Peprani. Its name is a reference to the Virgin of Mercy, “Redeemer of the Christian Captives”. Inside the cathedral, there is an urn that preserves the ashes of Colonel Ramón Bernabé Estomba, who founded the “Fortaleza Protectora Argentina”(Argentine Protective Fortress) which constituted the origin of Bahía Blanca. Its façade was completed around 1928 once sculptures of the Virgin Mary (with the Mercedarians), angels, and figures of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint John, were incorporated. All these elements are typical decorations of the Christian faith.

BAR ASSOCIATION | 54 Sarmiento St.

The current building dates from 1928, built to be the headquarters of “La Nueva Provincia” newspaper (today known as “La Nueva”) by order of its founder Don Enrique Julio. Adalberto Pagano was the engineer who carried out the construction of this building. At the top, there is a sculpture representing the Roman goddess of wisdom, Minerva, holding a torch representing knowledge. She is also sitting on a printing press to symbolize the transmission of knowledge through the newspaper.

Ex BANCO PROVINCIA| 43 Alsina St.

This Bank construction started in 1916 and was inaugurated in 1918. The architect Luis B. Rocca was in charge of the design and Andrés Diotto together with Vicenti Spinedi carried out the building. The building had been the headquarters of the Bank of Buenos Aires up until 1981. Nowadays, it houses municipal government offices.

A sculpture with three figures can be seen above the building that represents the main purpose of the bank. The one in the middle represents the Argentine Republic, which holds the national shield and a bouquet of wheat, the country’s main crop. The figure on the right pictures Mercury, God of Commerce. God Vulcan or Hefesto, representing Industry, is on the left. All together, they give the impression of a commercial, agricultural and industrial bank. The building was declared a National Historical Monument, due to its style and its contribution to the development and progress of the South of Argentina.

CITY COUNCIL | Sarmiento & Estomba St.

The legislative building of our city stands out for its eclectic style – as well as the main government buildings surrounding the square. The city council functioned as the local headquarters of the German Transatlantic Bank from the very beginning, in 1911. After the bank ceased to operate in the city, the building was occupied for many years by the local Provincial Revenue Office. It is known in the city for being the first building to have metal roll-up curtains, an advance that attracted the attention of the citizens, who admired the innovative system of the time.

BANCO NACIÓN (National Bank) | Estomba & Moreno St.

Inaugurated in 1921, the project was designed by the architect Ochoa and built by Baldasarre Zanni.

At the beginning, the bank was in the building of the Custom House. Many years later, the bank was moved to its present building which architectural design was meant to convey a sense of security, stability and strength (like a fortress). It was ornamented to represent work, commerce, industry and livestock. These decorations are represented by the atlantean figures that can be seen at the front of the building. Above the main entrance of the building, to the right of the door, we can observe an allegory for industry through a female figure seated on an anvil holding a hammer. To the left, there is another figure allegorizing commerce with the horn of abundance, seated on a wheelbarrow and, below, a ram symbolizing livestock farming.

The façade on Moreno Street showed a controversial detail: one of the atlanteans was built under prejudices of that time. He was standing with his arms crossed wearing a headband and loincloth, while the others were trying to hold the crown of the building. Unfortunately, a big fire destroyed most of the building.

THE CUSTOM HOUSE| Estomba St. & Colón Ave.

The current office of the National Custom House was built in 1904. At the beginning, the building was used as “Banco de la Nación Argentina”. Although the premises were big, the place was small due to the high commercial movement. Because of this, the Bank moved to a new building inaugurated in 1921, located at the corner of Moreno and Estomba St.

The building was designed by Alejandro Christophersen, one of the most recognized architects of Buenos Aires at the beginning of the 28th century.

We can highlight the intention of the author in the corner with a concave design, to convey hierarchy. At the entrance, we can see two big doors with stained glass, surrounded by a wrought iron frame.

STOCK EXCHANGE| Chiclana St. & Colón Ave.

Work of the architect Carlos Agote and the builder Antonio Gerardi, the building was inaugurated between 1904 and 1908. It was initially the headquarters of the “Banco Español”.

During the process of recovery and restoration of the building in the 2000´s, the workers found a water tank in a subway sector, which corresponded to a cistern of the old entrance guard of the “Fortaleza Protectora Argentina”.This has been preserved and transformed into a photograph exhibition, showing its recovery. It is considered one of the few, if not the only, existing testimony of the founding era of the city.

Ex BANCO HIPOTECARIO NACIONAL (National Mortgage Bank) | Colon Ave. & Vicente Lopez St.

Engineer Carlos Ortuzar and engineer architect Juan Ochoa, along with builder Santiago Teddi, were in charge of designing this monumental building. Completed in 1926, it was built in a historicist style taking classical elements from Greek and Roman architecture. It aims to transmit seriousness, stability and trust to the company’s eventual clients. It was a banking institution dedicated to providing housing loans that were paid back through mortgages at convenient terms. Above the main entrance -in addition to the sign and the national coat of arms- the figure of a condor opening its wings can be seen, with a gesture of sovereignty.

COURTHOUSE | 32 Estomba St.

Located across the street from Plaza Rivadavia, its construction began in April 1926 and was inaugurated two years later, for the 100th anniversary of our city. It was a project from Enrique Quinckle and constructed by Justo Jose Querel. It used to be one of the tallest buildings from that time spanning 33 meters high and 29 meters wide.

BIBLIOTECA RIVADAVIA (Rivadavia Library)| 31 Colón Ave.

The Bernardino Rivadavia Association was created in 1989, leading to the foundation of the library in 1930. The design was made by Ernesto Giraud working together with the constructor José Querel. The library was declared a National Historic Monument and offers a cultural space to develop many activities: concerts, workshops, and exhibitions open to the public.

Its front resembles a Greek temple, and the facade portrays a bust of the Greek goddess Pallas Athena, goddess of Wisdom.

CLUB ARGENTINO (Argentine Club) | 67 Colón Ave.

To resemble English traditional customs, a “gentlemen club” meant as a cultural and social space was established. With the purpose of “developing essential relationships for the life of cultured and intellectual men”, on July 15 1903, a group of citizens presented the project of the club. On December 17th, the “Sociedad Constructora del Club Argentino” was formed, and the building was finished in 1910.

The architect Alberto Coni Molina was in charge of the project, and his design is nowadays recognized as one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the city. Its façade imitates 17th century Parisian hotels: a prominent stone front; marble spandrels; iron railings and handcrafted ironwork; steeply pitched slate roofs; numerous oval windows and skylights; the presence of spires crowning the roof, and a beautiful dome.

Many years ago, the club not only had its own barbershop and bedrooms, but also spacious ballrooms to enjoy gala dinners, hosting important figures of the country and the world. Nowadays it is a sports club exclusively, including a football pitch, indoor swimming pool

and reading or game rooms.

SCHOOL N2| 51 Vieytes St.

Declared a Provincial Historic Monument in 1999, this building construction took place in 1928. Carried out by architect Julio Gazzari, it was intended to be the most advanced academic institution in southern Argentina, and it remained that way for many decades.

Its architecture represents the excellence and preponderance of its educational quality: very classical lines with Greek decorations, such as columns, vases and statues.

POST OFFICE| 34 Moreno St.

Bahía Blanca was selected as the headquarters of one of the 21 Postal and Telecommunications Districts established by National Law on April 13, 1888. In 1919, a cornerstone was laid for the new Post Office Building. The architect Van Dorsen, from the General Directorate of Architecture of the Ministry of Public Works of the Nation, was the author of the project. The construction took nearly 10 years and was finally inaugurated in 1928.

The stone-like façade has a neoclassical style. Above each entrance there is a pediment where we can see the Nation Coat of Arms inside. It was declared a National Historic Monument in 1997.