Paseo La Plaza
Encyclopedia
Paseo La Plaza is a cultural and commercial complex in the San Nicolás
section of Buenos Aires
, Argentina
.
for much of the twentieth century, the ornate market hall was also popular for its Bachín y Pichín Restaurant. Shuttered during Argentina's difficult 1980s, the central location of the acre-size lot quickly attracted investors' interest, however, and the property was purchased by the La Plaza Group, a theatre production company led by Pablo Kompel.
The market hall was demolished in favor of an open-air center, though a number of the former building's features, such as its colonnade
and portico
s, were preserved. The Pablo Neruda
Salon, a theater and cinema hall, was opened on July 12, 1989, with a performance by world-renowned mime Marcel Marceau
, and the entire center was formally inaugurated on September 28.
Lushly landscaped, Paseo La Plaza was designed as an urban oasis
in one of Buenos Aires' most densely-populated areas. A cultural as well as commercial center, it continues to host an active repertoire in its two theatres: the Pablo Neruda and Pablo Picasso
Salons (with 520 and 440 seats, respectively), as well as in its patio amphitheater. The Neruda Salon also hosts local radio host Alejandro Dolina
's news and commentary program, La venganza será terrible
. The development, the first of its kind in Buenos Aires, attracts over 350,000 theater-goers a year, becoming the most important such center in Argentina.
The center also includes a small convention center for up to 1200 visitors, divided into the Alfonsina Storni
, Pablo Casals
and Julio Cortázar
Rooms. A promenade of 21 retail outlets, and 14 restaurants and bars, is interspersed along the patios; in all, Paseo La Plaza atrracts around half a million visitors a month.
San Nicolás, Buenos Aires
San Nicolás is one of the neighbourhoods of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, sharing most of the city and national government structure with neighboring Montserrat and home to much of Buenos Aires' financial sector...
section of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
Overview
Paseo La Plaza was built where the bustling Mercado Modelo once stood. Serving residents in or near the 1600 block of Corrientes AvenueCorrientes Avenue
Avenida Corrientes is one of the principal thoroughfares of the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. The street is intimately tied to the tango and the porteño sense of identity...
for much of the twentieth century, the ornate market hall was also popular for its Bachín y Pichín Restaurant. Shuttered during Argentina's difficult 1980s, the central location of the acre-size lot quickly attracted investors' interest, however, and the property was purchased by the La Plaza Group, a theatre production company led by Pablo Kompel.
The market hall was demolished in favor of an open-air center, though a number of the former building's features, such as its colonnade
Colonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade denotes a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building....
and portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
s, were preserved. The Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
Salon, a theater and cinema hall, was opened on July 12, 1989, with a performance by world-renowned mime Marcel Marceau
Marcel Marceau
Marcel Marceau was an internationally acclaimed French actor and mime most famous for his persona as Bip the Clown.-Early years:...
, and the entire center was formally inaugurated on September 28.
Lushly landscaped, Paseo La Plaza was designed as an urban oasis
Urban oasis
An urban oasis is a public open space, park, or plaza which is located in between buildings or formed by surrounding buildings in an urban setting. It can exist in any kind of culture. There are various sizes of urban oases. Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted's park in New York City, can be...
in one of Buenos Aires' most densely-populated areas. A cultural as well as commercial center, it continues to host an active repertoire in its two theatres: the Pablo Neruda and Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
Salons (with 520 and 440 seats, respectively), as well as in its patio amphitheater. The Neruda Salon also hosts local radio host Alejandro Dolina
Alejandro Dolina
Alejandro Ricardo Dolina is an Argentine broadcaster, who also achieved renown as a musician and a writer.-External links:* at AlejandroDolina.com.ar * : listen to La venganza será terrible online...
's news and commentary program, La venganza será terrible
La venganza será terrible
La venganza será terrible is a popular radio program in Argentina, also broadcast in Uruguay. It is hosted by Alejandro Dolina....
. The development, the first of its kind in Buenos Aires, attracts over 350,000 theater-goers a year, becoming the most important such center in Argentina.
The center also includes a small convention center for up to 1200 visitors, divided into the Alfonsina Storni
Alfonsina Storni
Alfonsina Storni was one of the most important Latin-American poets of the modernist period.-Life:Storni was born in Sala Capriasca, Switzerland to an Argentine beer industrialist living in Switzerland for a few years. There, Storni learned to speak Italian...
, Pablo Casals
Pablo Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló , known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time...
and Julio Cortázar
Julio Cortázar
Julio Cortázar, born Jules Florencio Cortázar, was an Argentine writer. Cortázar, known as one of the founders of the Latin American Boom, influenced an entire generation of Spanish speaking readers and writers in the Americas and Europe.-Early life:Cortázar's parents, Julio José Cortázar and...
Rooms. A promenade of 21 retail outlets, and 14 restaurants and bars, is interspersed along the patios; in all, Paseo La Plaza atrracts around half a million visitors a month.