In 1915, the lower level of the General Guemes Gallery was christened, 3,000 square meters, that now houses Tango and Art. One of the most sophisticated places in Buenos Aires has waited for over 90 years to find, at last, its true kismet ... Piazzolla Tango a truly amazing Show and Art Center.

Towards 1915, a year before “La Cumparsita” was first played; Buenos Aires witnessed the development of a new, 3,000 square meter theater in the lower level of the Galería Güemes. Galería Güemes is located in a building which, at that time, was the tallest structure in Argentina and its construction signified the beginning of the transformation of Buenos Aires into a large city.. A light, located at the top of the building, 87 meters from the ground, served as a reference point for vessels navigating along the Río de la Plata. Curious people waited in line, paid 25 cents, to look through the telescope to see the expanding city. The architect, Francisco Gianotti*, an Italian, had gathered together the most competent craftsmen and builders and, along with the finest materials, built this palace that never ceases to amaze us. This is where today; we find Piazzolla Tango, Show and Art Center. There are many stories surrounding the construction of the building including the one that tells us of a vessel carrying marble for the construction that was sunk by a submarine thus delaying the end of the construction and the opening of the building.

Two men from the Salta Province of Argentina, Emilio San Miguel and David Ovejero, came up with the idea of constructing this building. They had amassed incredible wealth, owning the Casona de 1830, that had been built at the site. Their initial idea was to build a palace on Florida Street, but later, the owner of the property nearby on San Martin Street, wanted to include the Supervielle Bank. So it was decided to build a long gallery, 116 meters in length, so that it connected Florida Avenue and San Martin Street. Construction began in 1913. Six hundred workers worked for 33 months, using only concrete. Given the period of time, the elevators moved at an amazing speed.

The construction of this building cost 15,000,000 pesos, (when the peso was stronger to the dollar). The name honors a hero from the Province of Salta in Argentina, General Martín Miguel de Güemes. The grand opening was organized by the Circulo de la Prensa and the President at that time, Victorino de la Plaza, along with relatives of General Martín Miguel de Güemes. The Theatre, located on the lower level, was inaugurated with a speech by the writer, Ricardo Rojas. The festive night included comedians, Spanish dancers and acrobats. The Tearoom/Cafe located in front of the Theatre, was eventually turned into a private club called Abdulah**, where the “priviledged” along with famous tango composers gathered. In the 1950’s, it is said that burlesque shows and erotic movies were shown in this subterranean theater and cafe. Later, these types of shows lost their lure.

In 2003, an Argentinean company, Tango Entertainment S.A., made a decision to restore this architectual jewel and to return tango music to its rightful place amid the historical and cultural heart of the city. After all this was the place where it evolved so many years ago during the time the gallery was being constructed. Isn’t it curious that this very sophisticated center in Buenos Aires has waited for over 90 years, forgotten in time, to find its true destiny?

--Eduardo Guibourg—

* The Güemes Building was the first building designed and constructed by Francisco Gianotti (1881-1967), an independent architect. The second was the Confitería del Molino which he designed in 1916.

** In 1923, Juan Carlos Cobián separated from Osvaldo Fresedo and formed his own orchestra. He made his debut that same year in the Abdulah Club, located in the lower level of the Gallery. Together with Luis Petruccelli and Pedro Maffia, they played the bandoneones. Agesilao Ferrazzano and Julio De Caro played violins along with Thompson on the bass, who was soon replaced with Humberto Constanzo.