Barolo beacon

21 photos head NNJ3
Barolo
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Inauguration: July 7, 1923.
Surface: 16.630 m2
Height: 100 m
Architect: Mario Palanti.

Highlights: It was the highest building in Buenos Aires during one decade, until the construction of the Kavanagh building in 1936.
Adress: Avenida de Mayo Nº 1370

The age:

Beyond its hidden mystical sense and the architectonic excellence, the Barolo Palace is a true account of that age. Its history illustrates Buenos Aires society at the beginning of century 20º. By 1918, Buenos Aires city ‘lived’ its biggest splendor. The centenary had favored a great number of art works which had renovated the whole city. The most important undertaking was the reformulation of the city streets plan, with the incorporation of the two important diagonal avenues –Roque Sáenz Peña and Julio Argentino Roca– and the majestic Avenida de Mayo, which soon became the most important avenue of the city. The area value was consequently increased and many real estate transactions were generated. One of these big operations gave origin to the construction of the Barolo Palace.

This undertaking was initiated due to real estate brokers speculation and the meeting of two particular figures: Mario Palanti –the creative architect– and Luis Barolo –the financial expert thirsty for immortality. The work showed promise as a monumental creation -never seen before. The City Code did not allow, by that time, the construction of two buildings of more than 20 meters. However, they achieved their purpose. The city authorities created a unique exception to the specific rules formulated for the avenues so as to permit a construction four times higher than the allowed height. It was then that the work was started.

The protagonists

- Mario Palanti

Architect. Milanese, graduated in the Academy of Brera. He arrived at Buenos Aires in 1909 so as to direct the works of the Italian Pavilion within the Exhibition of the Centenary. He returned then to his country; but in 1919, he came back to Buenos Aires: this is the beginning of his work in the River Plate.

His works describe a movement that ranges from the Italic academicism to a very personal style which combines elements of all ages and aspects of the architecture. Besides the Barolo Palace, Buenos Aires offers impressive buildings such as: the Castelar Hotel –also called Excelsior which original construction dates from 1928–, the Roca Cinema –Avenida Rivadavia 3736, built in 1914–, the French Italian Bank –at the intersection of the avenues Perón and San Martín– and the Casa de Rentas (similar to the IRS building) at the intersection of avenues Santa Fe and Callao.

In Montevideo, Uruguay, the Salvo Palace is identical to the Barolo Palace. Mario Palanti, who greatly admired the Divina Comedia, considered both works as the "Columns of Hercules" at the River Plate. This fanaticism, his love for the detailed work and the hidden symbolisms made that the opening of his building occurred on the 600º anniversary of Dante death.

- Luis Barolo

The palace was financed by Luis Barolo, an Italian businessman who arrived in Argentina in 1890 to install the first spinning mill of brushed wool in the country. A few time later, he became popular for his cashmeres. With the fortune earned, he acquired lands in the province of Chaco and started cultivating cotton.

By 1905, the spinning mill comprised 12,000 spindles managed by the ‘Barolo’s female manufacturers”. In order to improve the negative labor conditions, they went on strikes and the Female Gremial Union was created, which was considered an important advance in the Union organization. Maybe, “female Barolo’s manufacturers” and the harvesters of Chaco province, were granted great part of the Barolo Palace.

Luis Barolo expressly manifested a great love for his native country and for Dante Alighieri. By 1915, the only spinning mill of wool operating in Argentina was that one of Barolo’s. His fortune was incalculable; it was then when he decided to build his great work. He was worried about the war –the First Worldwide War–, and he decided to finance a project that will immortalize the Italic culture, Dante and he himself.



The building
The works were initiated in 1919 and finished in 1923. The building is monumental: it comprises 32 meters of width x 42 meters of length, with exit to two parallel streets: Avenida de Mayo and Hipólito Irigoyen. Between both streets, a pedestrian alley with commercial shops is in place. The roofed surface is 16,630 square meters, distributed in 18 floors and 2 basements. The structure was entirely made of reinforced concrete, a technique with no precedents in our country by that time.

The Barolo Palace was the first building considered as the "first high building" in Buenos Aires, with 100 meters. The Palace finishes at the top with a rotating lighthouse —installed in 1923— of 300,000 spark plugs. The lighthouse announced great events, like the result of a boxing match held between the Argentinian, Luis Ángel Firpo, and the North American, Jack Dempsey, in 1923. The Toro Salvaje de las Pampas threw his opponent away the ring for 17 seconds. However, the match continued and then Dempsey defeated Firpo.

The particular style of Mario Palanti combines modern elements —a concrete structure, floors aimed at organizing t