|
|
|
| |
| |
| Abasto, a suburb with smell of tango |
| |
| |
| |
This nostalgic and colorful district has reborn due to its new tourist image. The memory of Carlos Gardel is present on this strategically located suburb, rich in history as well.
Of the "Cien Barrios Porteños" (One Hundred Buenos Aires’ districts) that are being modified, the one that experiences the most significant change is the Abasto. This area has been constantly changing: from lagoons and marshes to a zone of villas, later to a commercial center and a place for living and culture. Then, the old market that gave the name to this area had to close, and a vertiginous decadence arrived to the zone. Finally, in the last few years, the suburb received a remarkable push with a great investment of money that turned the place into one of the greatest Buenos Aires’ tourists attractions.
Until mid 19th century, the place was not more than a region with country houses and the remains of colonial farms. The settlement in 1887 of the Tramway (a kind of cable car pulled by horses), communicated the zone with Buenos Aires Downtown. In 1889 the City House of Representatives transferred 25.000 square meters of land over Corrientes Avenue to settle a market to provide fruits and vegetables to the city.
In 1890, began the construction of the old Abasto Market and three years later after its opening, a lot of grocery stores, coffee shops and houses settled in the surroundings transforming the zone in a cosmopolitan district. The stands were settled over precarious constructions where wagons fully loaded of goods arrived and almost all the commercial transactions were done in the open air.
In 1928, the Abasto received another big push by being connected through the subway to the downtown and others neighborhoods.
In 1930 it was decided that a new building was to be built. The result was that that building was considered one of the most beautiful and innovative of the city. With a 44.000 square meters area it had direct access to the train, parking underground places, two escalators, 540 stands and a cold-storage room. On the surroundings, a world of tenement houses, taverns and political committees started to grow.
In 1935, after Carlos Gardel’s death, the picturesque Carlos Gardel alley began to take its present form. The course of the years seated a unique history, a district without equal.
In 1984, the market was closed for not being functional. As a result many properties were vacated, leaving the place with many abandoned houses.
Thus, the years passed until by the end of the 20th century the Abasto changed again. Without modifying the wonderful building and architectonic structure, the old Market made way for to the present Abasto Shopping, the country’s biggest one, and the Carlos Gardel pedestrian alley recovered great part of its history with the settlement of typical bars, cultural centers and schools of tango. In the surroundings, a big amount of supermarkets and international hotels were settled as well. Therefore, and thanks to these investments, the zone has recovered its rich history turning this place in one of the most visited by tourists from all around the world. |
| |
| *Acknowledgments: KMxKM: www.kmxkm.com.ar. |
| |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
