Kavanagh building

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Edificio Kavanagh
Edificio Kavanagh
Basic data
Place: Florida 1065
Retiro (Buenos Aires) Argentina
ArgentinaArgentina 
Construction time : 1934-1936
Opening: January 2, 1936
Architects : Gregorio Sánchez, Ernesto Lagos and Luis María de la Torre.
Technical specifications
Height : 120 m
Floors : 29
Elevators : 12
Usable area : 28,000 m²
Floor area : 2400 m²

The Kavanagh Building ( Edificio Kavanagh ) is an Art Deco high-rise building in Buenos Aires in the Retiro district . His address is Calle Florida 1065, on the east side of Plaza General San Martín in the Retiro district.

The skyscraper was designed by architects Gregorio Sánchez, Ernesto Lagos and Luis María de la Torre in 1934, completed in just 14 months and opened in January 1936. In 1939 the facade was awarded by the American Institute of Architects . The building was added to the List of International Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1994 and was added to the list of National Historic Monuments of Argentina in 1999 .

It was commissioned by Corina Kavanagh (1910-1984), descendant of Irish immigrants, who invested all of her legacy in the construction of the skyscraper. For a long time she herself owned the largest apartment of 700 square meters on the 14th floor, which is the only one to occupy an entire floor, but for an unknown reason she lived elsewhere in the building.

According to a legend, the shape and height of the building are an act of revenge: Corina, who came from a wealthy but simple family, fell in love with the son of the noble Anchorena family (probably in Aarón). The Anchorena family, who lived in the Palacio San Martín in Arenales 700, were against the engagement because of the age difference and Corina's non-aristocratic descent. In return, Corina Kavanagh had the skyscraper built so that it blocks the view of the Anchorena family's Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento church . In fact, if someone wants to get to the church by the shortest route from the Palacio San Martin, they have to cross the alley that is now called Corina Kavanagh. Today it is no longer possible to determine exactly whether the legend is true. It is true that Mercedes Castellanos de Anchorena had 2 sons who would have been considered fiancé based on their age and the age difference would have been large. The church that she wanted to cover with her building was completed in 1916. But the Anchorena family had to give up their palace in 1930 (presumably because of the Great Depression) and the Kavanagh building was only built in 1936. Mercedes Castellanos de Anchorena , the fiancé's mother who had the church built, died in 1920 when Corina was only 10 years old.

In 1948 Corina sold her property to the banker Henry Roberts.

The house is covered with a film on the lower floor so that any graffiti can be removed quickly. It is necessary because public figures, including politicians, also live in the house, and demonstrations or graffiti can be expected. Everyone who moves into the house must sign a contract in which they undertake to keep the apartment in its original state, both inside and out. Any changes must be approved. A former resident altered a window that faced the courtyard without such a permit and was forced to reverse the change.

At the time of construction, the house was not only the tallest building in Buenos Aires (until then it was the Palacio Barolo ), but also in all of Latin America, and it was also the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world. It was equipped with central air conditioning.

In the Cementerio de la Recoleta cemetery there is a burial place with the inscription Kavanagh.

Web links

Commons : Kavanagh Building  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ ROXANA FERNANDEZ: El Kavanagh, entre los protegidos. In: Clarín . April 23, 1999, accessed February 21, 2011 .
  2. ↑ La Nación : El Kavanagh y sus 70 años de historias

Coordinates: 34 ° 35 ′ 43.5 ″  S , 58 ° 22 ′ 28.8 ″  W.