Between 1910 and 1960, Buenos Aires was a city of skyscrapers. And it is not a nostalgic exaggeration, vary of the tallest buildings in the world outside the United States were here. The Kavanagh, the Barolo Palace, the Comega, the Safico, the Güemes Gallery. explains it Leonel Contreras, author of “Rascacielos Porteños: history of high-rise construction in Buenos Aires”. Buenos Aires adopted the New York model of a vertical city when it was the third most populated city in America, behind New York and Chicago. In 1947 it already had 3 million inhabitants and the height was not a whim, it was the logic of a metropolis.
Some of these constructions broke records that are surprising today. The Kavanagh was the tallest residential building outside of New Yorkthe tallest in Latin America and the first built in reinforced concrete on that scale. Buenos Aires looked from above when almost no other city on the continent could do the same. Today that story is still there, in stone and concrete, waiting to be seen from within. These are some of the viewpoints that tell it.
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For the majority of porteños, The Obelisk is a point of reference, a postcard or the place where certain events are celebrated. Few know that for a few months now you can enter. The interior of the monument inaugurated in 1936 was closed to the public for decades. Today a guided tour takes you up to a height of 65 meters by elevator and allows you to look at the city through four windows facing the cardinal points. The perspective on July 9 is difficult to match. There are shifts from morning to night, including a time slot to watch the lights turn on. The visit lasts 15 minutes and is booked through Civitatis (civitatis.com). The same platform offers two other architectural experiences. The tour of the domes runs through the Microcentro to contemplate them from the street, as a way to understand the scale of what Buenos Aires built. And the guided tour of the Otto Wulff building goes one step further: the German-style building located in Belgrano and Perú has two domes and eight columns with figures that represent the trades of its construction. The visit goes up to the ninth floor, accesses a balcony with views of the historic center and ends with tea or coffee.
In that line, the Buenos Aires Viewpoints Program that depends on the General Directorate of Heritage, Museums and Historic Center of the Buenos Aires Ministry of Cultureorganizes guided tours of buildings with historical value and infrequent public access. The selection criteria, explained by the Directorate, is clear: “The aim is to establish agreements with buildings that, in addition to having privileged views of the city, have historical or heritage value.” April’s agenda included the Argentine Automobile Club, the Santa Rosa de Lima Basilica, the Monumental Tower, the Güemes Gallery and the Bencich buildingamong others. Spaces are limited (between 15 and 25 people per visit) and many dates sell out quickly. They report that the Güemes Gallery is the one that generates the most demand: “Not only because the capacity of its viewpoint is very limited, but because of the history and heritage value of the building.” The feedback is good: “Generally they don’t just come to take photos; they are very respectful and listen carefully to the talk, which usually lasts at least an hour.” The agenda is updated at buenosaires.gob.ar and registration is personal and free.
In a cultural key
For their part, three cultural spaces offer viewpoints that have little to do with the typical postcard of the city. ANDAt the Proa Foundation, on Avenida Pedro de Mendoza in La Boca, the café terrace is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 12 to 7 p.m. and access is free. From above you can see the Riachuelo, the Vuelta de Rocha, the Nicolás Avellaneda Ferry Bridge and, on the opposite wall, the mural with Maradona’s face. A view that does not exist anywhere else in the city. There are usually people, but there is always room.
While andThe Libertad Palace has in its dome the highest public viewpoint in Buenos Aires Aires. From the ninth floor, through its large windows, you can see the domes of downtown Buenos Aires, the river and the sky. “An invitation to enjoy the architecture, the first buildings and the widest river in the world,” the institution proposes. The building (which was Correo Central for 80 years before becoming the largest cultural center in Latin America) organizes free guided tours but with limited spaces, so tickets must be collected at the box office.
AND in San Telmo, the Buenos Aires Museum (BAM), It is one of those places that many people pass by without knowing that it has a terrace. From its heights you can see the roofs and domes of the Historic Center, flanked by two murals by the artist Mariela Ajras that speak of memory and Buenos Aires identity. Open Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on weekends until 8 p.m. Admission is charged.
See and eat
For those who prefer to see the city while eating or having drinks, two rooftops stand out. The Trade Sky Bar operates on floors 19 to 21 of the Comega building (one of the skyscrapers from the golden age of Buenos Aires, now converted into one of the most glamorous viewpoints in the city) on Avenida Corrientes and Alem. The proposal has three levels: bar and restaurant, an exclusive omakase for 30 people and an open terrace from where you can see the Obelisk, Puerto Madero and, on clear days, the Uruguayan coast. The kitchen is supervised by chef Dante Liporace and the cocktail bar has its own identity.
On the other hand, in Palermo, The Bestial Fly Bar occupies the 11th floor of Humboldt 2495 and offers a not-so-typical view. Theirs is a more nocturnal and exuberant proposal: vertical gardens, onyx floors and 360-degree views that go from the river to the polo field. From Tuesday to Sunday from 7 p.m.; On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays there are live performances with dancers, acrobatics and guest artists.
Buenos Aires was always a city that looked upward. Today you can also look at it from those heights.
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