Neighborhoods, Mansions and Gardens
Along Alem Ave. you will see weekend houses, beautiful chalets, and colorful gardens. They showcase a variety of architectural styles, from colonial to modern. Some of these buildings have been converted into offices or restaurants, but they still preserve their original appearance and design. Others have become museums or cultural places that open their doors to the public for different events (artistic, cultural, educational, among others).
TEATRO MUNICIPAL | MUNICIPAL THEATER | Alsina St. & Alem Ave.
It is the most significant and outstanding cultural center of the city. It was inaugurated on August 9, 1913 at the beginning of Alem Ave. It has a capacity for 850 people in parterres, loges, paradise and official loge. It is the head office to the Provincial Symphony Orchestra and the prestigious Ballet del Sur, and it counts with 6 rehearsal rooms and several workshops. Because of its wide range of activities, it is one of the ten most important theaters in the country.
In 2011, it was declared a National Historic Monument due to its historical and architectural characteristics.
Many celebrities visited this theater: Carlos Gardel, a national tango singer, presented his show in our city in a national tour in 1918. In 1948, Eva Perón, the first lady of the moment, gave a speech in one of the balconies. Emanuel Ginóbili, a basketball player from Bahía Blanca, exhibited here the gold medal he won at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
CASA COLEMAN | COLEMAN HOUSE | 41 Alem Ave.
This typical chalet with tile roofs and a unique viewpoint in its upper floor, is located in the first block of Alem Ave. It was built in 1928 by Pedro Calvé Salvat and was acquired in 1931 by Arthur Henry Coleman, maximum local authority of the Southern Railroad. Therefore, the property became a social meeting place.
Two decades after Mr. Coleman’s death, in 1972, the building was acquired by CONICET (The National Scientific and Technical Research Council) and later served as the offices for the Argentine Institute of Oceanography (IADO in Spanish). Since 2005, FUNDASUR (The South Foundation for Technological Development) has been carrying out in this space the project called Permanent Exhibition of Science and Development.
ITALIAN CONSULATE | 309 Alem Ave.
It is one of the most interesting examples of Neo-Renaissance architecture that our city offers. This building has housed the Italian Consulate since 2012.
CASA Y ESTUDIO PILLADO | PILLADO HOUSE AND BUREAU | Alem Ave. & 19 de Mayo St.
Dr. Pillado, a well-known local lawyer in the 1930s, decided to build his house and law bureau following the principles of modernist architectural movements. He hired the architect Wladimiro Acosta, who applied the so-called Helios system, a precise construction method that maintained optimal thermal conditions all year round through architectural elements.
Combining elements of rationalist aesthetics, the house we see today was the result of Pascual Arcuri expertise. The construction was carried out during 1935. It was the first house in Bahía Blanca with an independent reinforced concrete structure.
FUNDACIÓN EZEQUIEL MARTINEZ ESTRADA | EZEQUIEL MARTÍNEZ ESTRADA FOUNDATION | Alem Ave. & Salta St.
Ezequiel Martínez Estrada was a writer born in 1895 in Santa Fe and settled in this house in Bahía Blanca in 1949 until his death. He had received the National Prize of Literature twice and was president of the Argentine Society of Writers. His works include “Radiografía de la Pampa” written in 1933, “Heraldos de la verdad” from 1958 and “Tres poemas del anochecer”, published in 1964.
CASA DE LA CULTURA | CULTURE HOUSE | 925 Alem Ave.
It is located in front of the Ezequiel Martinez Estrada Foundation. This old colonial style mansion from the beginning of the XX century is in an excellent state of conservation. It is surrounded by gardens that still preserve its ancient vegetation of aguaribayes (native trees from the Central Andes). It was granted to the administration of the General Secretariat of the Universidad Nacional del Sur.
It is a very cozy space dedicated to academic and cultural activities. Both its halls and gardens usually host exhibitions, book presentations, theatrical and musical activities, photographic, pictorial and sculptural exhibitions, seminars, academic acts and events, congresses, and conferences.
CLUB UNIVERSITARIO | UNIVERSITY CLUB | 1100 Alem Ave.
Built in 1930 by Adalberto Pagano as the seat of the club ‘Sociedad Sportiva’. Today it is a non-profit institution, led by a board of directors formed by university students. Sports and cultural activities are held here for its members and the general public.
UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DEL SUR | THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH | 1253 Alem Ave.
Due to its high academic ranking, it is considered among the best universities of Argentina. Founded on January 5th 1956, the National University of the South brings pride to the community. It also admits international students who choose this university to improve their studies. In 1963, the present-day building was finished. Its neoclassical style with tall columns and a wide stairway embellishes the facade.
In its front garden we can see the famous Lola Mora fountain, which was inaugurated on December 18, 1978. Its central structure was made by an unknown author. Two rosebuds made of Carrara marble sculpted by Lola Mora (born in Tucuman city) were added to enrich it.
CASTILLO DE AVENIDA ALEM | ALEM AVE. CASTLE | 1200 Alem Ave.
Built in 1909 by Joaquin Saurí, this Catalan architectural style castle is the oldest construction in Alem Ave. It has a fantastic style design typical of the “decorated neighborhoods” of that time. It was originally used as a house for the housekeeping personnel and their activities.
Declared a Patrimonial Property, it now operates as an ice-cream parlor and has a high-rise building in its back.
BARRIO PARQUE PALIHUE | PALIHUE NEIGHBORHOOD | Casanova St. & Fuerte Argentino St.
The neighborhood owes its origin and its name to the Golf Club located in a nearby area. It was designed by Manuel Mayer Méndez towards 1940. Palihue comes from two Mapuche words in the Mapudungun language meaning ball (pali) and place (hue). In fact, these two words refer to the place where this traditional mapuche’s game ‘la chueca’ was played.
It is characterized by its urbanization of wide, landscaped, irregular and zigzagging streets, taking advantage of the hillock of the place. Its residences are spacious and have a high property value.
In the highest part of the neighborhood -Altos del Palihue- stands one of the campuses of the National University of the South. In one of the entrances to the neighborhood (Casanova street), there is the Plaza del árbol de Guernica (Guernica Tree Square), where there is a sapling of the historical oak tree, donated by the Basque community of Bahía Blanca. The central square was designed in honor of the ex president, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento.
Inside the neighborhood is El Mirador (Natural Viewpoint), which can be accessed from a hill by Cabrera Ave. From there you can get a panoramic view of the city through the entire urban conglomerate to the port of Ingeniero White, the petrochemical pole and the estuary. We recommend you visit it at sunset, or at night with all the lightning of the buildings.
CASA CATALANA | CATALAN HOUSE | 51 Rondeau St.
It is a provincial Asset of Testimonial Interest and a Local Heritage Asset. The house is a perfect example of Modern architecture.
The first floor dates from 1901. It is an eclectic building with many ornaments. Its plaster is similar to stone, and it has metallic window bars. The second floor was built in 1921, by the catalan Pedro Cabré Salvat -one of the most talented local builders of the time- who settled in Bahía Blanca in 1907. It is known as the Catalan House because its design recreated Gaudi’s trencadís method. This technique consists of a composition based on irregular pieces of ceramic in different colors. Also, the four colorful columns, with different decorative motifs, stand out. In the structure, Modernism can be appreciated in the curves of the lower part of the balcony.
BARRIO INGLÉS | ENGLISH NEIGHBORHOOD | Colón Ave. and Brickman St.
The whole group of buildings, built by BBNO Railway (for its meaning in spanish: Northwest Bahía Blanca Railway) was declared a Historic Urban Architectural Ensemble. Within it, there is the so-called English Quarter located at the intersection of Brickman St. and Colón Ave.
This housing complex, also known as “New Liverpool” is positioned as a heritage of international importance. It was built in 1908 to serve the railway workers. Each two-story block has four flats. They are notable for their typical English railway architecture: the slate roofs, the classic chimneys and the appearance of wrought iron. The houses are set back from the municipal line, which allows them to form a courtyard and gives a whole hierarchy for each unit.
LOS CHALÉS DE VILLA HARDING GREEN | VILLA HARDING GREEN CHALETS | 3400 Araucanos St.
These are a group of four chalets, built in the first decades of the 20th century as part of the boost that was intended to be given to Villa Harding Green. It was one of the many lots planned at that time, intended to give a concrete possibility for workers to acquire their own land and build their own house.
This neighborhood was created in 1907 on the initiative of Ernesto Parral. He auctioned off his plots in easy monthly payments, with a guarantee of drinking water, rich forestation and urban transport by electric tram. In spite of his tireless efforts, the neighborhood never managed to develop according to Parral´s original idea of establishing “Barrio Parque” (a green neighborhood).
The “decorated chalets”, as they were called, remain as a testimony of part of that enterprise. One of them belonged to Arturo Coleman, the highest authority of the Southern Railway. His house was called “La Emilia” in reference to Coleman’s wife. The other is called “El Retiro”, which today is owned by the municipality. This house was part of a system devised by Parral to build the building and then draw lots by selling a raffle with a thousand numbers. It was the so-called “Home by raffle”, which was very successful in the city and the region.
