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27-610: Following the demolition of a similar, smaller garden in the Retiro area, the Japanese Argentine Cultural Foundation secured a title to 2 hectares (4.9 acres) on the northeast corner of the city's extensive Parque Tres de Febrero for the purpose of creating a replacement. Completed in 1967, the gardens were inaugurated on occasion of a State visit to Argentina by then-Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko of Japan. Its entrance on Figueroa Alcorta Avenue led to

54-537: A major long-distance bus terminal ( Terminal de Ómnibus ) is located adjacent to the station, subte line C of the Buenos Aires Metro system and numerous local public bus services, this area is always teeming with commuters and traffic on weekdays. A major thoroughfare is Avenida del Libertador , which becomes Avenida Leandro N. Alem past the Retiro train terminal. Avenida Leandro Alem runs north-to-south along

81-649: Is a barrio or neighborhood in Buenos Aires , Argentina . Located in the northeast end of the city, Retiro is bordered on the south by the Puerto Madero and San Nicolás , and on the west by the Recoleta . Towards the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th was installed in the area, an asiento of slaves belonging to the Compagnie de Guinée and South Sea Company , that operated until 1739. In 1800 began

108-752: Is accessible on the 7th floor. In 2006 the building was closed to the public for technical maintenance. The building is occasionally painted with anti-British graffiti . The tower is built in Palladian style, the building is decorated with symbols of the British Empire and features the thistle of Scotland, the English rose, the Welsh dragon and the Irish shamrock. The tower reaches a height of 75.5 m (247 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in) and has eight floors. The clock and

135-622: Is also graced by a Japanese Peace Bell and a large ishidoro (石灯ろう Japanese stone lanterns central to their Buddhist traditions), as well as numerous other granite sculptures. A Japanese Buddhist Temple is maintained on the grounds and the Institute also hosts regular cultural activities for the general public. Alfred Zucker designed an open-air theatre for the park. 34°34′31.2″S 58°24′33.8″W  /  34.575333°S 58.409389°W  / -34.575333; -58.409389 Retiro, Buenos Aires Calle Florida , Retiro

162-471: Is home to many high-end stores and residential areas popular among both local wealthy gentry and expatriate executives. About 26,000 of its people, however, including thousands of illegal immigrants , live in the " Villa 31 " shantytown built along the Port of Buenos Aires from the 1930s onwards. Local and long distance rail service heading to the north originate from Estación Retiro ( Retiro train terminal ), also

189-399: Is surrounded by flora of Japan , such as sakura , katsura , momiji and azalea . The park, however, also features complementing species native to South America , notably tipa and floss silk trees. The lake itself is populated with carp . Small numbers of epiphytic bromeliads of genus Tillandsia can be seen as well as one orchid of the widespread and diverse genus Oncidium. The park

216-731: The 1889 Paris Exposition . Other architecturally significant landmarks facing the plaza include the Paz Palace , the San Martín Palace , and the Olivetti and Pirelli skyscrapers, which were among the first in the city built in the International Style . 34°35′41″S 58°22′33″W  /  34.59472°S 58.37583°W  / -34.59472; -58.37583 Torre Monumental Torre Monumental ( Spanish for "Monumental Tower"), formerly known as Torre de los Ingleses ("Tower of

243-662: The Buenos Aires Central Business District , which Retiro shares with the San Nicolás ward; the Retiro section of the business district is centered on the Catalinas Norte office park, initially built in the 1970s over docklands developed a century earlier by Francisco Seeber . Other principal streets and avenues in Retiro are Santa Fe , Córdoba , and Libertador Avenues, pedestrian Calle Florida , and Avenida 9 de Julio . The Retiro section of Calle Florida

270-507: The bricks from Stonehouse, Gloucestershire (see below). The technical personnel responsible for the construction also came from England. The sudden death of King Edward VII on May 6, 1910, prompted the United Kingdom to cancel its delegation to the Centenary celebrations , and the cornerstone was not laid until November 26. Other delays that followed were due to the late vacationing of

297-573: The Avenida 9 de Julio in the late 1970s, the embassy was spared due to its landmark status, and remains the lone building in the midst of intense traffic. The neighboring Pereda Palace , built in 1920, serves as the official residence of the Ambassador of Brazil . Retiro is home to a number of five star hotels , including the Four Seasons , Marriott Plaza , Sheraton , and Sofitel . The oldest of these,

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324-636: The British residents of Buenos Aires financed the construction of the Torre de los Ingleses (renamed in 1982 to Torre Monumental ), on the occasion of the centenary of the May Revolution . The work was entrusted to the English architect Ambrose Macdonald Poynter , being inaugurated by the president Victorino de la Plaza on May 24, 1916 . Retiro is one of the largest hubs of transportation services in Argentina, and

351-599: The English"), is a clock tower located in the barrio (district) of Retiro in Buenos Aires , Argentina . It is situated in the Plaza Fuerza Aérea Argentina (formerly Plaza Británica ) by Avenida San Martín and Avenida del Libertador . It was a gift from the local British community to the city in commemoration of the centennial of the May Revolution of 1810. After the Falklands War in 1982,

378-584: The Marriott Plaza, was opened in 1909 and faces Plaza San Martín , to the north of which lies the train terminal and the Plaza Fuerza Aérea Argentina (formerly Plaza Británica ), where the Torre Monumental (formerly Torre de los Ingleses ) is located; the palladian monument was donated by the Anglo-Argentine community for the 1910 centennial celebrations, and suffered several acts of sabotage in

405-607: The construction of Plaza de Toros del Retiro , a stadium of bullfighting built by the architect Francisco Cañete, that worked until 1819. In the Plaza de Toros took place the battles between the troops of Santiago de Liniers and the British army , occurred during the English invasions of 1806 and 1807. In 1821 was installed the first dissident cemetery of Buenos Aires, located in the vicinity of Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Socorro . This cemetery

432-726: The district include the Ministry of Foreign Relations , the Air Force , the Navy , the National Mint , and the Rail Transport Agency ; the former Hotel de Inmigrantes , the primary point of entry for millions of immigrants from 1911 to 1953, is also in Retiro and today serves as a national museum. Across the street opposite Retiro train terminal is the leafy Plaza San Martín , surrounded by great palaces and hotels. The Retiro lowlands were once

459-577: The form of the clock tower. A 1910 exhibition of project proposals at the Salón del Bon Marché , today the Galerías Pacífico , resulted in the jury's award to English architect Sir Ambrose Macdonald Poynter (1867–1923), nephew of the founder of the Royal Institute of British Architects . The tower was built by Hopkins y Gardom, with materials shipped from England such as the white Portland stone and

486-540: The gardens, a cultural center, restaurant, a greenhouse known for its collection of bonsai trees and a gift shop featuring an extensive selection of Asian garden seeds, as well as craftwork made by artisans on the grounds. The central lake is crossed by the Divine Bridge, traditionally representing entry into Heaven and by the Truncated Bridge, leading to an island where Japanese medicinal herbs are grown. The lake

513-500: The gas company that was installed in the square in 1912 and the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The inauguration of the building took place on May 24, 1916 and was attended by the President of Argentina Victorino de la Plaza and British dignitaries led by the minister plenipotentiary Reginald Tower. In 1982, bitterness over the Falklands War and Argentina's subsequent defeat led to a sharp rise in anti-British sentiment . The tower

540-410: The government of Mayor Fernando de la Rúa (1996–1999), the tower underwent extensive restoration. Public access was restored and a glass lift to the 6th floor, utilising the original British machinery, was opened. The 6th floor features a small exhibition of elements of the original lift and a view over the district of Retiro , Retiro railway terminal and the Port of Buenos Aires ; the clock pendulum

567-537: The time, was the tallest building in Latin America at 120 metres (394 ft). Funded by an Irish Argentine woman, the Kavanagh stands on the northern end of pedestrian Calle Florida , and its construction followed the plaza's extensive redesign, which resulted in the demolition of a number of derelict buildings from the colonial era, though also of the original National Museum of Fine Arts , an ornate pavilion used for

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594-476: The tower's original name was dropped, though some still call it Torre de los Ingleses . On September 18, 1909 the Argentine National Congress passed Law N° 6368, consisting of an offer by the British residents of Buenos Aires to erect a monumental column to commemorate the centennial of the May Revolution . Although the centenary monument was initially considered to be a column, it ultimately took

621-575: The training grounds for General José de San Martín 's Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers , and the modern-day Plaza San Martín features an equestrian monument to the hero of the Argentine War of Independence , as well as a memorial to the dead in the Falklands War. The most significant landmark opposite the plaza is the Kavanagh Building , a reinforced concrete structure finished in 1936 that, at

648-734: The wake of the 1982 Falklands War . Also nearby are the Basílica Santísimo Sacramento , the upscale Patio Bullrich shopping arcade, the Estrugamou Building , the Fernández Blanco Museum , and the Peace Plaza - the site of the former Israeli Embassy, which was bombed on March 17, 1992, with a toll of 29 dead and 242 wounded, marking the first known South American incident of Middle East -related terrorism. The numerous government agencies headquartered in

675-529: Was place were buried the people who professed the Protestant religion, mostly English. The dissident cemetery operated in the neighborhood of Retiro until 1833, and was transferred that same year to the neighborhood of Balvanera . In 1854, was established in the neighborhood the Compañía Primitiva de Gas de Buenos Aires Ltda. , a British gas company, that worked until it was nationalized in 1944. In 1910

702-464: Was renamed Torre Monumental ("Monumental Tower") and the square where the tower is situated Plaza Británica ("British Square") was renamed Plaza Fuerza Aérea Argentina (" Argentine Air Force Square"). The war has triggered acts of vandalism against the tower, including a dynamite explosion detonated at its base in November 1984 (in which, however, the monument sustained only minor damage). During

729-709: Was the site of Harrods Buenos Aires , originally the London department store's only overseas affiliate, from 1914 to 1998; the abandoned landmark continued to host art shows and Tango festivals, and permits were obtained in 2009 to reopen the retailer. Another Retiro landmark spared demolition was the Ortiz Basualdo Palace . Completed in 1912 as a private residence, it was acquired by the French Government for use as its Embassy in Argentina in 1939. When entire blocks of housing were razed to make way for an extension of

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