Architecture in Buenos Aires

The eclectic skylines of Buenos Aires are testament to the mishmash of cultures found in Argentina's capital city, an immigrant port that owes much of its history to that of the new arrivals from Europe and the Middle East throughout the 20th century. Buenos Aires enjoyed great wealth throughout the prosperous 1920s, when the city contracted the world's greatest architects to come and build up what are now some of the most beautiful areas of the city: Plaza de Mayo, Avenida de Mayo, Plaza Congreso, Recoleta, and San Telmo, where French, Italian, and Spanish architectural styles are evident. Rationalism became the look as the century passed, and many rationalist gems such as the Edificio Kavanagh remain standouts. Examples of such styles as Rococo and Brutalism are on view at the Palacio de Aguas Argentinas and the Banco Hipotecario Nacional, respectively - two extreme examples of extreme architectural styles that most either love or hate, with little middle ground. Either way, they are sites to be seen and a must for any architecture aficionado. The same is to be said for the Biblioteca Nacional, an edifice that most closely resembles a robotic mushroom. Slightly off the beaten path, the Abasto Shopping Center is a modern mall occupying the site of the former Mercado Central of Buenos Aires. The building, though the grand, arched exterior remains intact, was renovated for its current use. Evidence of its former grandiose can be viewed inside on the top floor, home of the food court and movie theater, where the all-glass ceiling was designed to let the maximum amount of light in.

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