In the last few hours, government sources announced that they had a possible demolition or sale of the Social Development buildingas revealed by Noticias Argentinas. However, during his usual press conference, the presidential spokesperson, Manuel Adorni, assured that, for the moment, “there is no definition“about the future of the headquarters of the ministry.
The history of the Social Development building
In 1932 the architect José Hortal suggested to the Minister of Public WorksManuel Alvarado, the construction of the building. The offices of the aforementioned portfolio would be concentrated there, which until then were dispersed in 10 different headquarters.
Finally located between Belgrano Avenue and Moreno Street in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Monserrat, the Executive branch submitted the bill for its construction to Congress on July 24, 1933 and it was approved on November 26. The construction, carried out by José Scarpinelli’s company, was directed by the engineer Marcelo Martínez de Hoz and supervised by its ideologue, Hortal.
The building was inaugurated in September 1936. Since then, and with more than 80 years of history, it became one of the most emblematic places in the Buenos Aires landscape and part of national history.
In 1951was the scene of one of the country’s greatest milestones in communication. That was where he settled, on his terrace, a antenna that allowed the first television transmission in the country.
In 2002, the building was declared National Historical Monument and in 2010 its façade and terraces were restored, maintaining its style, similar to the Kavanagh building and the Gran Rex cinema. Much of its historical significance has to do with having been the setting where the then first lady Eva Perón announced her candidacy for vice president in 1951. accompanying her husband and president Juan Domingo Perón.
It was during the Government of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner who sought for the skyscraper to pay tribute to this historical episode. Since 2011, two images of the face of Eva Perónmade of steel that measure 31 meters by 24designed by the sculptor Alejandro Marmo and the plastic artist Daniel Santoro.
The versions of a possible demolition of the Social Development building
After officially changing the name of the Kirchner Cultural Center – now Palacio Libertad Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Cultural Center– An influential official from Javier Milei’s administration revealed to journalists from the Casa Rosada that the initiative to demolish and/or sell the building is in the pipeline, although it would not materialize in the short term.
One of the reasons they allege to justify this measure is that the skyscraper is located in the middle of the layout of the main artery of the City of Buenos Aires. “It is not something against Peronism, it is to open traffic on 9 de Julio.
“It won’t be now, maybe in July next year. It is a federal building, the City has no interference,” said the leader as revealed by Noticias Argentinas. Along these lines, they also detailed that this measure does not seek “make Peronism invisible“.
Given the various versions of demolition, Adorni responded to the doubts and assured that “that version is false“. Despite initially denying the versions about a possible demolition of the building, and ensuring that “today there is no definition,” the presidential spokesperson later stated that “At some point, as with other buildings, a decision will be made“.
Source: Ambito
