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Posted on 03/17/2022 By God
Galería Güemes - Places to visit
The Galería Güemes building is considered one of the first skyscrapers in the country. Buenos Aires with its 87 meters high. The visitor of those years was surprised by the variety of uses and functions that it housed in its interior.
In the basement there is a theater and an important event hall and restaurant. On the first floor, the Güemes Gallery with commercial establishments and varied gastronomy. From the second floor offices, and from the 6th level on, there were fully furnished apartments that were rented on a temporary basis.
On reaching the 14th floor there was one in front of the cafeteria overlooking the city and where the chords of an orchestra played from a balcony inside the lounge. Four levels up was the viewpoint, the highest point of the city for several years with a unique 360 degree view in the heart of the city.
Galería Güemes was accompanied by technical highlights such as elevators capable of traveling 140 meters in 60 seconds, firefighting systems that pumped up to 24,000 liters per hour and that were activated by electrical alarms located on the first floor and in the basement.
The different sectors had refrigeration, heating and forced ventilation, and even the luminous board that informed about the occupancy of the offices was a common topic because it was indiscreet. A system of pneumatic tubes served as internal mail for the Galería Güemes building.
No less impact was caused by the combination of natural and artificial lighting of the vault and the bronzework of the passageway, or the bronzework details of the shop windows and elevator doors.
The theater had seats mounted on a reinforced concrete slab which, in turn, had a pivoting support capable of changing the slope of the room.
The complex made a truly futuristic impression considering that the year was 1915. The promoters of the project were Emilio San Miguel and David Ovejero from Salta, owners of great fortune and owners of the 1830 mansion on Florida. At first it was thought that the work would only be carried out on this street, but later Banco Supervielle, owner of the lot facing San Martín, joined the project.
It was then decided to build a building-passage that would connect both streets through a 116-meter long Gallery. Developed by the Italian architect Francisco Terencio Gianotti. Galería Güemes is considered a masterpiece of Art Noveau.
The construction of Galería Güemes began in 1913, and it had to face many problems, its owners were bankrupted by the cost of the work that rose from 10 to 15 million pesos. Its situation was aggravated when a German submarine sank the ship that was bringing the Italian marble for the façade on Florida and other costly elements for its completion.