Neighborhood | Buenos Aires Neighborhoods
Buenos Aires Neighborhoods
 
Neighborhood: “…urban space fundamental element of division” (Rossi), “magical and historic circle” (Sebreli), “Fights and demands place that define it as something more that a house where to live” (Castels)
 
Exist too many definitions about what a neighborhood really means, but the certain thing is that besides being a form of community organization, the neighborhood is part of our culture. Some could have been inhabited, mostly, by Italians, other by Jews, by Orientals, but the real thing is that the natives are joined by the familiar feeling or simply to belong to that Big City in which all live together.
 
As the Germinal Nogues book said: Neighborhood is an Arabian origin word (it comes from “barri”, that means outskirts of the city).  The certain thing is that Buenos Aires can be divided in: Central (“microcentro”) and surroundings.
 
The tango dedicated several pages to its streets, and more specifically to its neighborhoods and coffees. 
 
The tango was originated by the mixture between natives and immigrant, of that remained the neighborhoods, with characteristics tracks that the immigrants groups left, like the neighborhood of “La Boca”, on the Stream banks, neighborhood that maintains intact its Italian immigrants characteristics: "Caminito", "La vuelta de Rocha", among others.  In this way was formed an idiosyncrasy that showed the crucible of races that intervened in the city formation.
 
The tango is a result of this composition that remains printed in the Río de la Plata, and in this urban landscape was born an artistic movement that was expanded in the entire world.
 
“Boedo, you are like me,
Ruffian as is the gotán,
Open as a heart,
That gets tired to grieve…”
 
At the beginning of the 17th century, it started to be originated our city neighborhoods, perhaps to be differentiated between them. There are 47 (according to the last bylaw) and they extend in 20.000 hectares, with 2186 streets/avenues and 24130 blocks.  Today we can name them and find in them its different walks, histories and personalities that characterizes them. 
 
Along the years they suffered countless transformations that were written in chronicles, newspapers or small-big fables that count a little of their history. It is said that all started to met in the parochial nucleus, and also to be administrated in a better way. 
 
“The Blond one Mireya”
 
The Buenos Aires mythical character was mentioned in the famous tango “Viejos Tiempos”(“Old Times”) written by Manuel Romero and with Francisco Canaro music. It was premiered by José Muñiz in a magazines spectacle called “La Maravillosa Revista”(“The marvelous magazine”)in the Buenos Aires Theater. It used to tell us:
 
¿Do you remember brother, the Mireya Blond,
that I removed in Hansen to the crazy Cepeda?
I almost kill myself in a night for her
and today is a poor ragged beggar.
 
It is a faithful exponent of the epoch, and besides all the things, it transmits Buenos Aires characteristics, it details us the woman of that epoch (she was represented by Mecha Ortiz, Susana Campos and María Aurelia Bisutti). Enrique Muiño sang to her and another spectacle took place: “Los muchachos de antes no usaban gomina”(“The boys of before did not use hair gel”).
 
“Each neighborhood corner is a memory,
of the magic and smiling adolescence.
Each street that discovers my presence,
that is speaking to me
of the yesterday houses …”
 
 
 
Big houses to remember
 
The famous “little houses” were those large big houses that were rented by a day for a select group of people.  In them festivals were carried out where was listened the prohibited sound called tango. In some way the tango of the epoch was a brothel tango type, because only there it could be enjoyed without any restriction. 
 
In the corner of Paraguay street and Pueyrredón avenue existed the little house of “Laura, the dark one” who was the responsible for the place. It is said that was the most concurred of the epoch.  “Mamita” was another, recognized by the premiere of the tango Mr. Juan, with the voice of “The young Ernesto”.
 
Madam Blanche (placed in 775 Montevideo street) where Enrique Saborido premiered “Felicia” (1907)
 
The Chinese Rose (at the corner of Chile street and Saavedra street)
María The Basque (2721 Carlos Calvo avenue) where famous people like: Vicente Greco, Ernesto Ponzio, Rosendo Mendizábal, among many others passed.
 
Some Directions: Today it can be visited some buildings that are almost National monuments. 
 
· South Bar: In San Telmo neighborhood, located in 299 Estados Unidos street.
· The Old Store: In Monserrat neighborhood, Independence avenue and Balcarce street.
· Tortoni Coffee Shop: In the same neighborhood, 829 Mayo avenue
· The Chinese Bar: In Pompeya neighborhood, 3566 Beazley street.
· Ideal Coffee Shop: Centro neighborhood, 384 Suipacha street. 
 
“Old neighborhood of my dream,
the one of same ranches,
like you the strong wind
 the pain whip me.
Today I find you old
but always so smiling..”
 
 
“The Abasto Dark Face”
 
The Abasto was initially built in Argentina the first time with reinforced concrete and occupied 21259 square meters. The Abasto was a great building that was carried out in only four years, to be then reconstructed after a strong fire in 1952. 
 
In 1984 it was closed as the City Central Market to be reopened after a long restoration in the year 1998, but converted in a shopping. 
 
It was inevitable to place “Carlos Gardel” to the subway station that flows into that building, like the pedestrian that is located in one of its laterals, where the “Dark Face of the Abasto” monument was inaugurated. 
 
Its museum can be visited, installed in a house where himself inhabited in 735 Jean Jaurés street.