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The Kavanagh: what it's like to live in the penthouse of the emblematic Buenos Aires building - La Nacion Propiedades
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www.lanacion.com.ar
September 23, 2024
Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Monument, it is one of the most iconic skyscrapers in Buenos Aires.
By Candle Contreras
The Kavanagh, a heritage building that does not have an intercom and whose departments are different
Walking through its large revolving doors is like passing through a time tunnel that transports you directly back to 1936. Its entire architecture is reminiscent of the art deco style of the time , with concrete walls, leather furniture and paintings decorating the entrance hall. Located on Florida Street, 1000, the Retiro neighborhood is the main setting for one of the most emblematic buildings in the city of Buenos Aires: the Kavanagh .
Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Monument in 1999, the Kavanagh is one of the most iconic skyscrapers on the Buenos Aires scene . “You never get used to living in this building, no matter how used to it you are. Every day I look at it and find new things,” says a resident who prefers to remain anonymous for privacy reasons and who lives in the penthouse on the 28th floor, the second-to-last habitable floor , which, to access, you must take one of the 12 elevators that transport you to the 105 apartments (it has five juxtaposed wings, with a total of 31 floors).
Built in just 14 months , the project was inaugurated on January 3, 1936 at the request of Corina Kavanagh , a woman who belonged to a wealthy but not patrician family, “ to avenge a forbidden love .” According to legend, the woman commissioned the building to get even with the Anchorena family , one of the most illustrious surnames in Argentina, for not accepting the relationship between her children (Romeo and Juliet style). Therefore, the millionaire decided to block the view that the aristocratic family had from their house (the current San Martín Palace) to the Basilica of the Blessed Sacrament. Today, to look straight at the church the only alternative is to stand in the Corina Kavanagh passage , which also belongs to the building.
The entrance hall is accessed through a revolving door and without an intercom.
At 120 metres tall, the building was once the tallest in South America . And, not least for the time, it was the first residential building in Buenos Aires to have central air conditioning provided by the American firm Carrier, until it stopped working in the 1960s, and a central heating system using boilers.
A curiosity : the Kavanagh does not have an intercom . All people not from the building must announce themselves at reception, “it is like living in a hotel, but much warmer,” adds the neighbor. The history of the place is as rich as the architecture itself , full of twists and turns and characters linked to the most powerful families in the country. Members of the Pérez Companc family, the Eskenazi (the former owners of YPF), José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz and Carlos Corach all passed through here.
The 175m² apartment , which belonged to Alicia Pérez Companc when the Kavanagh was created , has three bedrooms and three bathrooms and has been the home of the current family since 2017, when, after a three-year renovation, they managed to restore it after it had been in a state of total abandonment . “When we bought the unit in 2014, it belonged to a young man who organised parties. So we had to restore it completely , but always respecting the original spirit of the materials ,” says the owner of the penthouse .
The remodeled property maintains the spirit of the original plan, which included such unique features as a hallway that ran in a complete circle , where a bathroom was now built to complement one of the bedrooms. “We modified it because it was not practical for a family to have the rooms so far apart.”
The apartment on the 28th floor was almost completely restored, but without losing the essence of the building.Alejandro Guyot
The "bow" of the Kavanagh points to the River Plate Alejandro Guyot
The building has three types of apartments : the smallest are between 120 and 130 m² , the intermediate ones are between 140 and 150 m² , and the largest are over 170 m² , as is the case of the penthouse , although there are several exceptions in which the units are 250 m² . “Apartments in these types of buildings are assets that safeguard value, due to their status as a National Historic Monument,” says Martín Pinus, director of the real estate agency of the same name. In numbers, the values per square meter range between US$ 2,900 and US$ 4,000 , “depending on the floor it is located on and the views, the state of conservation of the unit, and the renovation that has been carried out,” shares the broker.
“The interesting thing is that all the apartments are different , but the vast majority have only two bedrooms, there are very few that have added rooms. Even within the same category, each one has its own personality ,” says the interviewee.
One of the most curious aspects of the building is the unit on the 29th floor , which is next to the machine room. Originally it was going to be an astronomical observatory , but that never came to fruition. Over time, the consortium of owners decided to sell it to a neighbour who already had several apartments in the building that he used as a “cinema”, until it was sold to an outside buyer and today it is a residential apartment. “That is part of the character of the Kavanagh, always evolving, but with an essence that remains intact ,” says the neighbour.
In a hallway that ran through the entire apartment, there is now a bathroom. Alejandro Guyot
The owners remodeled the apartment but without losing the essence of the building. Alejandro Guyot
Despite the Kavanagh’s mystique and architectural value, the high maintenance costs and lack of amenities , such as garages, may put some people off. “For many, it is no longer attractive; it becomes more of a monument than a place to live. However, I think that the people who live here do so because they have a special sensitivity or a deep love for the architecture and history of Buenos Aires. It is a very Buenos Aires building.”
Living at the Kavanagh is not just about inhabiting a space, but rather being part of a community that values the past and keeps it alive. As the neighbour comments, “it is you who have to adapt to living here, not the building to you. It is like living in the old-fashioned way . ”
So who chooses to live in the Kavanagh? According to Pinus: “The public that makes up the community of this emblematic building usually has a combination of high purchasing power and a low profile. Those who buy an apartment do so not as an investment, but because they want to live in it.”
Currently, the apartment has three bedrooms. Alejandro Guyot
The balcony does not go all the way around the apartment. Alejandro Guyot
www.buysllba.com
Source:
El Kavanagh: cómo se vive en el penthouse del emblemático edificio porteño
Declarado Patrimonio Mundial por la Unesco y Monumento Histórico Nacional, es uno de los rascacielos más icónicos de Buenos Aires
www.lanacion.com.ar
September 23, 2024
Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Monument, it is one of the most iconic skyscrapers in Buenos Aires.
By Candle Contreras
The Kavanagh, a heritage building that does not have an intercom and whose departments are different
Walking through its large revolving doors is like passing through a time tunnel that transports you directly back to 1936. Its entire architecture is reminiscent of the art deco style of the time , with concrete walls, leather furniture and paintings decorating the entrance hall. Located on Florida Street, 1000, the Retiro neighborhood is the main setting for one of the most emblematic buildings in the city of Buenos Aires: the Kavanagh .
Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Monument in 1999, the Kavanagh is one of the most iconic skyscrapers on the Buenos Aires scene . “You never get used to living in this building, no matter how used to it you are. Every day I look at it and find new things,” says a resident who prefers to remain anonymous for privacy reasons and who lives in the penthouse on the 28th floor, the second-to-last habitable floor , which, to access, you must take one of the 12 elevators that transport you to the 105 apartments (it has five juxtaposed wings, with a total of 31 floors).
Built in just 14 months , the project was inaugurated on January 3, 1936 at the request of Corina Kavanagh , a woman who belonged to a wealthy but not patrician family, “ to avenge a forbidden love .” According to legend, the woman commissioned the building to get even with the Anchorena family , one of the most illustrious surnames in Argentina, for not accepting the relationship between her children (Romeo and Juliet style). Therefore, the millionaire decided to block the view that the aristocratic family had from their house (the current San Martín Palace) to the Basilica of the Blessed Sacrament. Today, to look straight at the church the only alternative is to stand in the Corina Kavanagh passage , which also belongs to the building.
The entrance hall is accessed through a revolving door and without an intercom.
At 120 metres tall, the building was once the tallest in South America . And, not least for the time, it was the first residential building in Buenos Aires to have central air conditioning provided by the American firm Carrier, until it stopped working in the 1960s, and a central heating system using boilers.
A curiosity : the Kavanagh does not have an intercom . All people not from the building must announce themselves at reception, “it is like living in a hotel, but much warmer,” adds the neighbor. The history of the place is as rich as the architecture itself , full of twists and turns and characters linked to the most powerful families in the country. Members of the Pérez Companc family, the Eskenazi (the former owners of YPF), José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz and Carlos Corach all passed through here.
Living in Kavanagh: a first-person account
The Kavanagh is known for its luxurious and modern design for the time in which it was created , but it also presents a disruptive scenario for those who choose to move in today . In addition, light is one of the most precious features of the place, with rays of sunlight coming through the windows of all floors. “ Although it is an old building, it has a special soul . The doormen, for example, are a bit like the soul of the building,” says the resident of the 28th floor, the penultimate habitable floor, just below the machine room.The 175m² apartment , which belonged to Alicia Pérez Companc when the Kavanagh was created , has three bedrooms and three bathrooms and has been the home of the current family since 2017, when, after a three-year renovation, they managed to restore it after it had been in a state of total abandonment . “When we bought the unit in 2014, it belonged to a young man who organised parties. So we had to restore it completely , but always respecting the original spirit of the materials ,” says the owner of the penthouse .
The remodeled property maintains the spirit of the original plan, which included such unique features as a hallway that ran in a complete circle , where a bathroom was now built to complement one of the bedrooms. “We modified it because it was not practical for a family to have the rooms so far apart.”
The apartment on the 28th floor was almost completely restored, but without losing the essence of the building.Alejandro Guyot
The "bow" of the Kavanagh points to the River Plate Alejandro Guyot
The building has three types of apartments : the smallest are between 120 and 130 m² , the intermediate ones are between 140 and 150 m² , and the largest are over 170 m² , as is the case of the penthouse , although there are several exceptions in which the units are 250 m² . “Apartments in these types of buildings are assets that safeguard value, due to their status as a National Historic Monument,” says Martín Pinus, director of the real estate agency of the same name. In numbers, the values per square meter range between US$ 2,900 and US$ 4,000 , “depending on the floor it is located on and the views, the state of conservation of the unit, and the renovation that has been carried out,” shares the broker.
“The interesting thing is that all the apartments are different , but the vast majority have only two bedrooms, there are very few that have added rooms. Even within the same category, each one has its own personality ,” says the interviewee.
One of the most curious aspects of the building is the unit on the 29th floor , which is next to the machine room. Originally it was going to be an astronomical observatory , but that never came to fruition. Over time, the consortium of owners decided to sell it to a neighbour who already had several apartments in the building that he used as a “cinema”, until it was sold to an outside buyer and today it is a residential apartment. “That is part of the character of the Kavanagh, always evolving, but with an essence that remains intact ,” says the neighbour.
In a hallway that ran through the entire apartment, there is now a bathroom. Alejandro Guyot
The owners remodeled the apartment but without losing the essence of the building. Alejandro Guyot
Despite the Kavanagh’s mystique and architectural value, the high maintenance costs and lack of amenities , such as garages, may put some people off. “For many, it is no longer attractive; it becomes more of a monument than a place to live. However, I think that the people who live here do so because they have a special sensitivity or a deep love for the architecture and history of Buenos Aires. It is a very Buenos Aires building.”
Living at the Kavanagh is not just about inhabiting a space, but rather being part of a community that values the past and keeps it alive. As the neighbour comments, “it is you who have to adapt to living here, not the building to you. It is like living in the old-fashioned way . ”
So who chooses to live in the Kavanagh? According to Pinus: “The public that makes up the community of this emblematic building usually has a combination of high purchasing power and a low profile. Those who buy an apartment do so not as an investment, but because they want to live in it.”
Currently, the apartment has three bedrooms. Alejandro Guyot
The balcony does not go all the way around the apartment. Alejandro Guyot
www.buysllba.com
