Architectural Tour around Buenos Aires Province

Travelling around Buenos Aires province means getting amazed by the diversity of its landscapes, the richness of its culture, and the endless opportunities a road trip around it offers. If you feel like following an artistic itinerary, you’ve got many options, starting with architecture. The signature of recognised architects who left their marks, churches of great cultural importance and styles, and distinctive forms and materials are more reasons to embark on a trip around Buenos Aires’ destinations.

1.Basilica of Luján

Luján is approximately one hour from the City of Buenos Aires, one of the country’s most important religious pilgrimage centres. So, it should come as no surprise that the city’s basilica lives up to the expectations of such a title. Its construction started in 1887, and 48 years later, an architectural symbol of neogothic style with ogival arches was finished. The main figures of this work of art are two imposing pointed towers of more than 100 metres high. The image of Our Lady of Luján, patroness of Argentina, stands inside the basilica.

Apart from an obvious visit to the city’s icon, walking around the historical centre should also include stops on the Colón square and the museographical complex, home to the quaint colonial city hall or Cabildo.

2.Cathedral of La Plata

With a capacity for 7,000 people, this brick giant is one of the world’s biggest cathedrals and has great value at an international level. Actually, it is South America’s major neogothic temple, and it is just an hour from the City of Buenos Aires by car or two by public transport. Even though we know that’s enough for wanting to see it, its beauty should also be another reason: stained-glass windows, reddish hues, exposed brick walls, and 112-metre high towers. It is an extraordinary building ready to be photographed.

What else can you do in the famous ‘city of diagonals’? Some of the most noted places are the Pasaje Dardo Rocha cultural centre, La República de los Niños (to visit with children), the National University of La Plata, Paseo del Bosque René G. Favaloro, and the Curutchet House, covered below for its significant architectural richness.

3.Curutchet House, La Plata

Le Corbusier, one of the major figures of modern architecture, chose Argentina to leave his unique mark. All his works were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, and this one wasn’t the exception. The Curutchet House stands out among La Plata’s buildings and houses. Long ago, it was Dr. Curutchet’s house —he commissioned it to the emblematic architect. Nowadays, it houses offices of the Colegio de Arquitectos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. With shapes, materials, and structures innovative for its time, this building became right away an avant-garde architectural icon and an unmissable in Buenos Aires.

4. Salamone’s Works

In Buenos Aires, there are more than 60 hidden constructions designed by the Italian-Argentinian architect Francisco Salamone. They have various forms: from cemeteries to city halls, schools, squares, and slaughterhouses. His unique style is consistent: he plays with symmetry, towers’ heights, and concrete. The result? Futurist structures of Art Deco style with an original signature. All of them have been declared Cultural Heritage Sites of the Buenos Aires province. We hope it is clear by now: seeing his works means getting deep inside a unique architectural universe.

A tour around the most important buildings starts in Adolfo Alsina City Hall (declared a National Historical Monument), and 15 minutes from there the Villa Epecuén ex slaughterhouse (which is today one of the most symbolic for its magnificent tower). The itinerary goes on 62 kilometres from there, in Guaminí, with the city slaughterhouse (hard to mistake it, since it has a blade-shaped tower) and with the flawless geometry of the City Hall.

Another city to learn about Salamone’s legacy is Laprida, considered the heart of his works. Pereyra square, the city hall, and the cemetery are just some of the key stops —the latter is the main one since it has South America’s highest cross.

Another significant evidence of Salamone’s originality is the circular Saldungaray cemetery’s gate of 23-metre high and a massive cross in its centre. Just an hour from that stop by car, there is another gem: Coronel Pringles City Hall, whose tower became a local symbol. 

Lastly, a road trip around Azul and Rauch houses the artist’s best-preserved works. Azul’s cemetery facade is one of the most famous. It has 21 metres of height, an outstanding RIP inscription, and the sculpture of the Angel of Death. Rauch’s gem is the City Hall, reflecting his solid geometric signature with Art Deco style influences. 

5. Casa sobre el Arroyo, Mar del Plata

Among trees and straddling a stream, this bridge-like house has earned its position as one of the 20th century’s architectural symbols. Argentine Amancio Williams designed it for his father. Among his several virtues, the following stand out: perfect geometry, the effective use of concrete, and above all, the ability to build in harmony with the topography of nature. A true symbol of the Argentinian Modern Movement.