El edificio Kavanagh, se encuentra sobre la Plaza San Martín a unos doscientos metros de la estación de Retiro. Es una torre de departamentos que se inauguró en 1936 y fue construida en tan solo 14 meses. Fue en su momento el edificio más alto de sudamérica.
Leí por algún lado que la idea original de la construcción del edificio, que fuera encomendada por Corina Kavanagh, era eclipsar y tapar la Basílica del Santisimo Sacramento, que se encuentra detrás. La leyenda cuenta que esto se debió a que la familia Anchorena (quienes habían encomendado la construcción de la iglesia) había rechazado la iniciativa de casar a un hijo suyo con la hija de Corina. Su venganza fue que su edificio eclipsara completamente a la iglesia. De esta manera los Anchorena no podrían ver el templo desde su residencia (El Palacio San Martín, que pertenece hoy en día a la Cancillería).
Una peculiaridad del edificio es que sus 105 departamentos son todos diferentes, tanto en distribución como en extensión. El piso 14 tiene un solo departamento de 700 metros cuadrados que se reservó Corina para vivir ella ahí. Aún hoy en día no cuenta con portero electrico y los visitantes deben anunciarse como si se tratara de la recepción de un hotel.
Se agradece especialmente el aporte de Emil Kroker quien me brindo parte de la información para este post.
Una peculiaridad del edificio es que sus 105 departamentos son todos diferentes, tanto en distribución como en extensión. El piso 14 tiene un solo departamento de 700 metros cuadrados que se reservó Corina para vivir ella ahí. Aún hoy en día no cuenta con portero electrico y los visitantes deben anunciarse como si se tratara de la recepción de un hotel.
Se agradece especialmente el aporte de Emil Kroker quien me brindo parte de la información para este post.
The Kavanagh building can be found beside the Plaza San Martin, about two hundred metres from the Retiro bus and train station. The residential tower opened its doors in 1936. Construction only took 14 months. At the time of its construction it was the highest building in South America.
I read somewhere that the original idea behind the construction of the building was to block the view of the church that stands behind it. Corina Kavanagh, a young and wealthy woman, but not an aristocrat by blood, had planned to have her daughter married to the son of the very aristocratic family of the Anchorenas. The church behind the building is the Basílica del Santisimo Sacramento, and was built by the Anchorenas, to serve originally as a mausoleum for their family. When the wedding was rejected, Corina took her revenge by building the mamooth building, thus blocking the view of the mausoleum from the Anchorena residence, right across the Plaza San Martín.
It has 105 apartments and the striking fact is that all of them are different, both in the layout and the size. The largest apartment occupies the whole of the 14th floor. This apartment has over 700 square metres and became the residence of the Kavanaghs. Even today, the building has no electric intercom and guests have to call upon a reception desk as in a hotel lobby.
I´d like to thank Emil Kroker for his insights and the information provided for this post.
I read somewhere that the original idea behind the construction of the building was to block the view of the church that stands behind it. Corina Kavanagh, a young and wealthy woman, but not an aristocrat by blood, had planned to have her daughter married to the son of the very aristocratic family of the Anchorenas. The church behind the building is the Basílica del Santisimo Sacramento, and was built by the Anchorenas, to serve originally as a mausoleum for their family. When the wedding was rejected, Corina took her revenge by building the mamooth building, thus blocking the view of the mausoleum from the Anchorena residence, right across the Plaza San Martín.
It has 105 apartments and the striking fact is that all of them are different, both in the layout and the size. The largest apartment occupies the whole of the 14th floor. This apartment has over 700 square metres and became the residence of the Kavanaghs. Even today, the building has no electric intercom and guests have to call upon a reception desk as in a hotel lobby.
I´d like to thank Emil Kroker for his insights and the information provided for this post.
