Ok, this will be the last in my recent postings about demolished houses and new construction in Barracas. That is, unless I come across some other ridiculousness as I’m walking around tomorrow.
So, here on Av Montes de Oca was this building. Nothing extraordinary but nice, very pleasant. (The photo is again from the city’s mapping site, taken a few years back).
And here it is today:
The future site of construction project by a Spanish real estate developer.
And what’s up with that hideous blue paint job on the ground floor of the building next door?
December 3rd, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Gee by the time I get to Buenos Aires there will be no old relics left. How sad indeed!! 馃檨 They’ve done the same in Puerto Rico, gorgeous colonial houses are being teared down to make room for some Ugly housing project.
Same thing I witnessed in Beijing, China. All the huutongs, almost all of them are gone.
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:03 pm
It does seem to be a global phenomenon. I guess it’s what many call “progress”.
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:07 pm
Yes, we see this in Brooklyn, too. Thanks god we have rezonings that, although they take a lot of time, create strict law to reduce the incentive for tear downs.
December 4th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Myrtle Guy do you mean Brooklyn NY? I was born there. I was there last summer after four years of living abroad and I also saw major changes in New York.
December 8th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
[…] another one bites the dust just one more The Gods…they must be crazy Out With The Old… Out With The Old… Pt. 2 Another place gone Any doubts as to a real estate boom in Barracas? […]
December 10th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Well, Jeff, I don’t want to increase your anger… but take a look at what Macri said just last friday:
Macri: Toda la parte del Sur es la hermana pobre de la ciudad y hay que comenzar un eje de desarrollo que vaya desde Puerto Madero hacia el Sur: La Boca, Barracas, Lugano. Eso son los grandes desarrollos del futuro.
Reporter: En concreto, 脗驴en qu茅 va a consistir ese desarrollo del Sur? Porque siempre se promete lo mismo…
Macri: …Y despu茅s no se cumple. El 60 por ciento de la inversi贸n estar谩 volcada al Sur. Vamos a saltar de una inversi贸n de 500 millones de pesos en la gesti贸n de Ibarra y 900 millones de pesos en la gesti贸n de Telerman, a 2600 millones de pesos en nuestra gesti贸n, casi tres veces m谩s. Se potenciar谩 el Dique Cero y se correr谩n las areneras. En Barracas arrancaremos poniendo mucho dinero; la inversi贸n es el instrumento que nos dar谩 igualdad de oportunidades. Por cada peso que invierta la ciudad, el sector privado estar谩 en condiciones de quintuplicar la estatal.
La Nacion, 7/dic/2007
(Full article: http://www.lanacion.com.ar/archivo/nota.asp?nota_id=968885&origen=acumulado&acumulado_id= )
To me, that sounds like: “Let’s make all the neighbourhoods look like Puerto Madero”.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
I’m not excited about the new Macri administration. A few weeks ago I read an interview with Macri’s new head of culture and tourism who said that Puerto Madero is an example of what Buenos Aires can become. Maybe rather than the Paris of South America, Buenos Aires will be known in the future as the Atlanta of South America.
December 12th, 2007 at 1:21 am
I Wouldn’t take Macri’s remarks about Puerto Madero too literally. What he’s trying to say is that you can turn poor/deteriorated areas a success story…
December 12th, 2007 at 2:00 am
Ah, but how does one define a success?