Argentina – El Paseo del Siglo, a Walking Tour

Modernism, Art Deco and Baroque Buildings in Rosario, Santa Fe

Aug 20, 2008 Karin-Marijke Vis

This walking tour leads past historic monuments, revealing Rosario's history from government buildings to open secrets during the military dictatorship, called Dirty War.

El Paseo del Siglo is a walking tour with information boards along part of Rosario's historic buildings containing a high architectural value. This article offers background information which may help enjoy and appreciate the historical legacy Rosario has to offer.

A Walking Tour Along Rosario's Historic Buildings

The historic buildings of this walking tour are on Rosario's list of Works and Places of Patrimonial Value, which hopefully helps to prevent them from being demolished. The walking tour consists of a western and eastern section. This western section starts on the corner of Córdoba Street and Boulevard Oroño, and ends five blocks eastwards, at Plaza Pringles.

From Modernism to the Art Deco Rock & Feller's Bar

La Comercial de Rosario [corner Córdoba and Oroño] was the first building in the city to be constructed in a purely modernistic style, in 1940. It was designed by Ermete De Lorenzi, the same architect who, fifteen years earlier, designed La Casa de Lorenzi, an Art Deco building on the corner of Córdoba and Moreno – two blocks eastwards.

Nowadays La Casa de Lorenzi houses the stylishly decorated Rock & Feller's Bar, which went through dark ages during Argentina's Dirty War of 1976-1983. It was an open secret that in its cellars people were held prisoner, tortured and disappeared via a system of underground corridors.

El Museo de la Memoria – in Memory of Argentina's Dictatorship

There are plans to house El Museo de la Memoria – a museum featuring pictures and information about the Dirty War – to Rock & Feller's Bar [currently housed in the old train station at Rivadavia Street].

Rock & Feller's cellars used to be connected with the [now former] police station on the other side of Plaza San Martín. The entire structure is called Plaza Civica and occupies an entire square. The main entrance on Santa Fe is notable for its huge sculpture on top of the building – a man riding his horses.

Historic Buildings Around Plaza San Martín

Across from Rock & Feller's Bar on Córdoba are two important historic buildings. The one on the left is "Normal School number 2", built in neo-Baroque style. Next to it stands the colossal Faculty of Law, which formerly was the Court of Justice.

On the corner of Córdoba and Moreno stands the historic building of the Prats' Foundation, named after Josephina Prats, a well-known lady in Rosarion society who came to live here in 1937. The first floor still has the original but dilapidated wrought iron grate, while the ground floor has new ones – reconstructed in the old style.

Architectural Styles of Historic Buildings at Córdoba 1800-1600

The next blocks eastward on Córdoba Street feature a variety of houses in different architectural styles, although mostly French neo-Baroque, Italian neo-Renaissance or eclectic. Notice the diverse patterns in decorative wrought ironwork, especially of the doors. Also check out the sculpture of piled up books next to door number 1852 – befitting the College of Writers.

Continue on Córdoba up to Plaza Pringles, where the eastern section of El Paseo del Siglo – called The Walk of the Century – continues. Or check out the following walking tours in Rosario:

The copyright of the article Argentina – El Paseo del Siglo, a Walking Tour in South America Travel is owned by Karin-Marijke Vis. Permission to republish Argentina – El Paseo del Siglo, a Walking Tour in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

College of Writers, Historic Building in Rosario	Architectural Building in Rosario, Argentina	Historic Building Faculty of Law in Rosario
Art Deco Rock & Feller's Bar, Rosario, Argentina