Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
7
Torre
Monumental
Ave del Libertador 49.
City Map
3 E3.
Te l
(011) 4311-0186.
between the 1900s and the late
1940s, when Perón nationalized
the British-run rail system at
great cost to the state.
Now, a large map near the
entrance of the station shows
Argentina's once-extensive
but now much-depleted rail
network. The station serves as
a terminal for short-distance
trains from Buenos Aires
province, including the popular
line to the delta town of Tigre
(see pp120-21)
. Next to the
Retiro station is the city's large
and bustling main bus terminal.
Retiro.
@
130, 93, 109, 140, 28, 106, 129, 152.
Open
noon-6pm Mon-Fri,
10am-6:30pm Sat, Sun, & hols.
Presented to the nation as part
of the centennial celebrations
of the Revolución de Mayo in
1810
(see p53)
by the Anglo-
Argentinian community
,
Tor re
de los Ingleses (Tower of the
English) was not inaugurated
until 1916. Although the offi-
cial name was changed to
Torre Monumental in the wake
of the 1982 conflict
(see p58)
,
the local residents still know
the tower by its original name.
The clock tower was British-
designed and nearly all the
building material was brought
over from England. Built in
Palladian style, the tower has
ornate reliefs of the British and
Argentinian coats of arms
above its main entrance.
Ascending the tower, the
clock's pendulum stands at
128 ft (39 m) and has five
bronze bells. Similar to the
clock in Westminster Abbey
in London, the tower clock
also chimes on the
quarter-hour. On the tip
of the clock tower is the
weathercock, which is
in the form of an
Elizabethan sailing
ship. The balcony
offers splendid views
of the surrounding
area, including the
park in which the clock
tower stands. The
building is now used
as a tourist office
providing information
on the museums in
Buenos Aires. The
gazebo, however, is
closed to the public for
safety reasons.
Grand main hall of Retiro Mitre on Avenida
Ramos Mejía
9
Museo Municipal
de Arte
Hispanoamericano
Isaac Fernández
Blanco
Calle Suipacha 1422.
City Map
3 D3.
Te l
(011) 4327-0272.
8
Estación Retiro
Ave Ramos Mejía 1550.
City Map
3 E3.
Te l
(011) 4310-0700.
Retiro.
@
130, 106, 108, 129, 152, 93.
Standing beside each other on
Avenida Ramos Mejía, three
busy railway terminals, Retiro
Mitre, Retiro Belgrano, and
Retiro San Martín make up the
Estación Retiro complex. Of
the three, the British-designed
Retiro Mitre is the biggest
and most architecturally
significant. At the time of
its con struct ion, it was one
of the largest stations in
the world. It opened in
1915 and is reminiscent
of grand old European
stations with a French-
style cupola and an
English framework.
A plaque on the steel
structure reads “Francis
Morton & Co. Ltd.,
Liverpool.” The central
hall is an impressive
space and contains a
distinctive light-green
circular ticket area.
Retiro station used to
be the main terminal for
services to Córdoba and
the Andean Northwest
Retiro,
General San Martín.
59, 61, 93.
Open
2-7pm Tue-Fri, noon-7pm Sat
& Sun.
@
4pm Sat & Sun (in
Spanish), call for English tour.
&
8
Located in a gorgeous 1922
Baroque mansion known as
Palacio Noel after
its architect Martín
Noel, this
museum houses
a significant collec-
tion of Spanish
American art,
silverware, furniture,
and religious artifacts
dating from the
colonial period to
the era of Inde-
pendence. The
museum first opened
to the public in 1910
in the home of Isaac Fernández
Blanco, a wealthy aristocrat.
Opened with Blanco's personal
collection of art and artifacts,
it was the first such private
museum in Argentina. When
Fernández Blanco and his
family moved out in 1921,
he gave over his mansion
completely to the museum,
and donated it to the city. Until
his death in 1928, he continued
to buy and donate objects to
the collection. In 1947, the
museum's collection was
moved to its current location in
Jesuit statue
exhibit
The distinctive brickwork of the Torre Monumental
For hotels and restaurants see pp278-83 and pp288-99
