Avenida Alvear

2008-12-03T15:14:56Z

Wikisanchez: La Biela is not on Alvear Avenue.

[[Image:Brazilian_embassy_in_Buenos_Aires.jpg|thumb|240px|French (''left'') and Brazilian Embassies, Alvear Avenue, Buenos Aires.]][[Image:Buenos_Aires_-_Recoleta_-_Monumento_a_Alvear.jpg|thumb|240px|Monument to patriot [[Carlos Maria de Alvear]], the avenue's namesake.]][[Image:Hotelalvear.JPG|thumb|left|Alvear Hotel.]]
[[Image:Palacioduhau.JPG|thumb|left|210px|The Park Hyatt Hotel, formerly the Duhau estate.]]
'''Avenida Alvear''' is an elegant street in [[Buenos Aires]], [[Argentina]]. Located in the barrio of [[Recoleta]], it extends for seven blocks, from the Plazoleta [[Carlos Pellegrini]] to the memorial of [[Alvear]]. The street is not only famous for the most exclusive representatives of [[haute couture]], but also for old residences and small palaces.

The Ortiz Basualdo Palace (today the [[France|French]] [[embassy]]) and the Pereda Palace (the [[Brazil]]ian embassy) are the most famous among Avenida Alvear's many examples of ''belle époque'' architecture. Other well-known buildings include the [[Tourism in Buenos Aires#Hotels|Duhau Palace]] (converted into a Park [[Hyatt]] hotel), the neighboring Fernández de Anchorena Palace (today the [[Vatican]] embassy) and the [[Alvear Palace Hotel]], which dates from 1932.

Designer brands and jewelers located throughout the street include [[Gianni Versace S.p.A.|Versace]], [[Armani]], [[Valentino SpA|Valentino]], [[Louis Vuitton]], [[Ermenegildo Zegna]], [[Prada]] and [[Cartier SA|Cartier]].

The avenue is also known for its western end, site of the [[La Recoleta Cemetery|Recoleta Cemetery]], one of the best-known and visited in the World.

[[Category:Buenos Aires]]
[[Category:Shopping districts and streets]]

[[es:Avenida Alvear]]

Balvanera

2008-09-07T17:22:18Z

Wikisanchez:

{{Buenos Aires Barrio|
barrio = Balvanera |
area = 4.4 |
population = 152,198 (2001) |
density = 34,590 |
comuna = [[Comuna 3|C3]] |
image_map = Image:Balvanera-Buenos Aires map.png |
site_list = [[Plaza Miserere]]<br>[[Argentine National Congress|National Congress]]<br>[[University of Buenos Aires|UBA]]'s Economics Faculty |
comments = The neighbourhood is often referred to as ''Once''
}}

'''Balvanera''' is an official ''[[Barrios of Buenos Aires|barrio]]'' (neighbourhood) of [[Buenos Aires]], [[Argentina]].

==Origin of Name and Alternative Names==

The official name, '''Balvanera''', is the name of the ''parroquia'' ([[parish]]) centered around the church of ''Nuestra Señora de Balvanera'', erected in 1831.

The zone around Corrientes avenue is known as '''Once''' after ''Plaza Once de Setiembre'', the alternative name of ''Plaza Miserere'' (the square in which president [[Bernardino Rivadavia]]'s mausoleum is located).

The south-eastern part of Balvanera is often called '''Congreso''', as it contains the Congress building and the neighboring ''Plaza de los Dos Congresos'' (Square of the Two Congresses, usually called simply ''Plaza Congreso'').

The north-western part of Balvanera is referred to as '''Abasto''' after the landmark [[Abasto de Buenos Aires|Abasto market]] (now a shopping mall; see below).

==History and Communities==
[[Image:Mercado de Abasto Buenos Aires.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Abasto Shopping Centre]][[Image:Buenos_Aires_-_Pasaje_Enrique_Santos_Disc%C3%A9polo_-_HDR.jpg|thumb|260px|Bohemian ''Santos Discepolo Way''.]][[Image:Buenos_Aires-Plaza_Congreso-Pensador_de_Rodin.jpg|thumb|260px|The Argentine Congress and [[Auguste Rodin]]'s ''Thinker'', one of the few surviving originals the sculptor made.]][[Image:Cafe de los angelitos.jpg|thumb|260px|''Café de los Angelitos'', long a meeting point for musical and literary talent.]][[Image:Avenida_Corrientes_y_Pueyrred%C3%B3n.jpg|thumb|260px|''French Academy'' architecture lost among its rationalist surroundings, [[Corrientes Avenue|Corrientes]] and Pueyrredon Avenues.]]
Until the 1860s, Balvanera was considered an outskirt of Buenos Aires proper. In 1836, a census set its population at 3,635. Most inhabitants lived in ''quintas'' (small estates), and the zone was known as ''las quintas''. The ''Camino Real'' (now Rivadavia) was the main road from the city to the west.

In the late 19th century, Balvanera had a strong political tradition, identifying first with Adolfo Alsina and then with [[Radical Civic Union|UCR]] leaders [[Leandro Alem]] and [[Hipolito Irigoyen|Hipólito Irigoyen]].

By 1900, Balvanera was associated mostly with violently contested elections—and with the brothels in the ''Junín y Lavalle'' area where, according to [[Jorge Luis Borges|Borges]], the [[Tango (dance)|tango dance]] acquired its notorious erotic overtones. Natural growth and railroad development eventually assimilated the neighbourhood into the city.

During the 1910s and 1920s, the area around Corrientes avenue became the center of Buenos Aires's [[Jew]]ish community and the hub of the garment trade, which in turn attracted segments of the [[Arab]] and [[Armenians|Armenian]] communities.

A number of Jewish institutions were erected in Once, including the AMIA community center that was [[AMIA bombing|bombed]] on July 18, 1994, in the bloodiest terror attack ever on Agentine soil.

The southern part of Balvanera is home to some traditional institutions of the [[Galicia (Spain)|Galician]] community, and features a lively furniture trade along [[Manuel Belgrano|Belgrano]] avenue.

In the late 1970s, Balvanera became a favored location for electronics import shops which co-exist with the more traditional fabrics and garment shops. Newly arrived [[Korea|Korean]] and [[China|Chinese]] immigrants have become a strong presence in several fields of commerce (see [[Asian-Argentines]]).

==Geography==

Balvanera is located to the west of downtown Buenos Aires (''el centro'', which comprises [[San Nicolás, Buenos Aires|San Nicolás]] and [[Montserrat, Buenos Aires|Montserrat]]). The elegant northern neighbourhood of [[Recoleta]] (part of the area known as ''Barrio Norte'') is located north of Balvanera, crossing Córdoba avenue.

Most dwellers of Balvanera live in apartment buildings erected on small lots. [[Population density]] is very high, and the amount of green space is deemed insufficient. The meager green space of [[Plaza Miserere]] is usually taken up by illegal peddlers, people queuing for their bus, and preachers of all stripes.

As in most of Buenos Aires, the streets are laid out in a checkboard pattern. All streets and avenues are one-way.

The main streets of Balvanera are arguably [[Rivadavia avenue|Rivadavia]], which crosses the entire city from East to West (North-South streets change their name when crossing Rivadavia), and [[Corrientes avenue|Corrientes]], which is the main thoroughfare of commerce and entertainment in Buenos Aires. The ''kilómetro cero'' reference, from which all Argentine routes count the distance to Buenos Aires, is marked by a [[monolith]] in Plaza Congreso.

==Highlights==

===Notable Places===

The mausoleum of President Rivadavia in [[Plaza Miserere]] (Once) used to be covered in graffiti; after a fence was erected around it, its state of repair has improved markedly.

The University complex on the northern edge of Balvanera is home to many faculties of the [[University of Buenos Aires]], including Medicine, Odontology, Economics, Pharmacy, and Social Science, as well as the ''Clínicas'' University Hospital. Many private universities have facilities in Balvanera.

The Ramos Mejía general hospital and the Santa Lucía ophthalmology hospital are located in southern Balvanera. Many private health-care institutions are located in Balvanera, mostly around the Faculty of Medicine complex.

Among the architectural features in Balvanera are the neo-classical Congress building and the statue group in neighboring Plaza Congreso. The ''[[Confitería El Molino|El Molino]]'' tea room is located across the street in a building that has seen several rounds of restoration since its heyday.

The café ''Los Angelitos'' in the corner of Rivadavia and Rincón was a meeting point for poets and musicians. It features a relief of [[angel]]s in its façade [http://www.gardelweb.com/Cafe-de-los-angelitos.htm], which is one of the landmarks of the ''barrio''. After extensive restorations, it was reopened in 2007 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvncHvSMyXg] [http://akworld.net/BAweekly/?p=506], with plans to offer live tango and become a tourist landmark much like the Tortoni and Ideal cafés.

===Culture===

There are many theater and concert halls in Balvanera. The Liceo theater and the Ricardo Rojas cultural center are two of the best-known venues.

For most of the 20th century, Once had a lively [[Yiddish]] theater scene; the IFT theater still stands on Boulogne Sur-Mer street, where mural paintings celebrate its rich history.

Author [[Macedonio Fernández]] resided in Balvanera for most of his adult life, and held court, together with Borges, in café ''La Perla'' across [[Plaza Miserere|Miserere Plaza]] ("Plaza Once"). In the 1960s, the same café was one of the birthplaces of [[Argentine rock]], to the point that the early hit ''La Balsa'' starts with a reference to the washroom of ''La Perla'' (in author [[Tanguito]]'s version).

Many actors (such as [[Dringue Farías]]) lived in Balvanera within walking distance of the theater district.
[[Image:Ancient El Molino Confiteria.jpg|thumb|left|210px|The iconic ''El Molino'' coffeehouse building and its trademark windmill.]]
In the 1980s, [[Cafe Einstein]] was a hub of alternative art, featuring acts such as [[Sumo (band)|Sumo]].

Much of the [[Argentine cumbia]] scene of the 1990s revolved around dance halls near the Once train station.

North of Once station, many former warehouses have been recycled into lofts, offices, or entertainment venues. One of these, the ''[[República Cromagnon]]'' concert hall (formerly a mini-stadium and dance hall), went on fire on [[30 December]] [[2004]]. In the tragedy, 194 people were killed and over 600 injured.

===Commerce===
Currently, more than 25,000 shops are registered in Balvanera, where zoning regulations favor commerce. Many apartment buildings host one or more shops at ground level. The plot of the [[2004]] movie ''[[El abrazo partido]]'' revolves around one of Balvanera's many shopping ''galerías'' (galleries).

The block of Pueyrredón avenue across Plaza Once features a busy bazaar-like commercial area known as ''La Recova''.

The [[Abasto]] shopping mall is an impressive building that was the city's wholesale produce market until the late 1980s; its history is closely associated with the life and career of [[Tango music|tango]] singer [[Carlos Gardel]]. The area around the market used to contain produce warehouses and low-rent housing for the laborers; with its conversion to a high-end mall, the area experienced a [[gentrification]] process from the mid-1990s that was slowed by the [[Argentine economic crisis (1999-2002)|2001 economic crisis]]; but has resumed at a record pace, since.

==Transportation==

Being close to the downtown district, Balvanera has access to diverse transportation options.

===Road===

Westbound: The main avenues are Independencia, Rivadavia, and Córdoba.

Eastbound: The main avenues are Belgrano and Corrientes. Both run all the way to the riverbank and the [[Puerto Madero]] area.

Northbound: The main avenue is Entre Ríos; north of Rivadavia, its name changes to Callao.

Southbound: The main avenue is Pueyrredón; south of Rivadavia, its name changes to Jujuy.

During peak hours, most of Balvanera's streets are congested, some of them very heavily so. Most streets carry bus traffic; the main avenues have special lanes for buses and taxis.

Entre Ríos and Jujuy avenues have on-ramps and off-ramps to ''Autopista 25 de Mayo'' (an elevated [[toll road]] that provides rapid access to the western suburbs and to [[Ministro Pistarini International Airport|Ezeiza]] airport).

===Subte (subway)===

Balvanera has access to four out of the five ''[[Buenos Aires metro|subte]]'' lines. This is the preferred transportation option for hurried people who don't mind some discomfort during peak hours. 
With the expansion works started in the 1990s, most of the city has become accessible by ''subte'', including all intercity train stations.

===Bus===

Many [[colectivo|bus lines]] go through Balvanera, including the [[Colectivo 60]] line, venerated by locals as ''el internacional'', because its route passes many city landmarks. Other important lines include [[Colectivo 19]], which has been the subject of a composition by [[Lito Vitale]], and [[Colectivo 86]], which links [[La Boca]] to Ezeiza airport.

Around Plaza Once, numerous long-distance bus depots provide service to major locations in Argentina and neighboring countries. Ever since the 1980s, most long-distance and international bus lines have their termini in the [[Retiro]] depot, accessible via ''subte''.

===Train===

The ''[[Estación Once|Once de Septiembre]]'' train station provides commuter service to the western neighbourhoods and suburbs.

==External links==

*[http://www.todo-argentina.net/Geografia/Barrios/Balvanera/historia.htm Barrio de Balvanera] {{sp icon}}.
*[http://www.barriada.com.ar/balvanera.htm Information and statistics] {{sp icon}}.
*[http://www.balvaneraweb.com.ar News of Balvanera] {{sp icon}}.
*[http://www.jewishmag.com/44mag/once/once.htm Jewish Once] - a tour of Jewish life in Once.

{{Barrios of Buenos Aires}}

[[Category:Neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires]]

[[es:Balvanera (Buenos Aires)]]
[[fr:Balvanera]]
[[lt:Balvanera]]
[[oc:Balvanera]]
[[pt:Balvanera]]

Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Avenida Alvear

Balvanera