He Parador Ariston It is an icon of modern architecture in Mar del Plata. Designed in 1947 And abandoned since the early 90sbecame the city’s landmark.
Its structure, built on stilts and shaped like a floating cloverleaf, follows Le Corbusier’s principles and was designed as a restaurant and dance hall overlooking the sea. A few years ago the… Restoration project that would return it to its former glorywhich many Argentinians wonder about.
This architectural gem is located in the city Mar del Platain the Buenos Aires Provincein it La Serena districtabout the Provincial Road 11, kilometer 12which connects this city with Miramar. The building stands on the cliffs of the Atlantic coast and is unmistakable to those traveling to the south of the Buenos Aires coast.
The work was designed and installed 1947in response to a brief to provide a place for social gatherings and entertainment by the sea. According to official documentation, the building has just been constructed 60 daysa construction method unusual for the time that used concrete reinforced with volcanic lava tiles to reduce the weight of the structure. Its raised shape above four pillars It allows for expansive sea views and a constant relationship with the coastal landscape.
It is a unique work of modern architecture, designed by Marcel Lajos Breuerone of the most influential architects of modernism, was trained alongside Argentine architects at the historic Bauhaus school in Germany Carlos Coire and Eduardo Catalano.
Breuer arrived in Buenos Aires at the invitation of the University of Buenos Aires In order to teach a course at the Faculty of Architecture, he took on the project in collaboration with Coire and Catalano, young architects who had attended his seminar. The proposal is based on the principles of Modern movementwith a focus on transparency, functionality and integration into the environment.
It has been since it opened Parador Ariston acted as a social meeting place: a space for Pastry shop, meetings, dancing and social shows which, in the decades following its opening, stood out for its distinctive architecture and its seaside location.
However, the use of the building changed in the 70s and 80s. operated as Pastry shops, cafes and entertainment venues – including a nightclub – which partially changed its original structure. These changes, along with the Task progressivecompromised the integrity of the original design.
Out of 1993He Parador Ariston stayed leavewith a closed structure. For decades, sea corrosion, weather and lack of maintenance accelerated its deterioration, although its architectural and cultural value remained intact recognized by experts and specialist circles.
The formal recognition of its importance took place with the Law No. 27,538sanctioned on December 20, 2019which explains Parador Ariston as National Historic Monument. The aim of this award is to protect the work as part of Argentina’s cultural heritage and to promote its preservation from the risks of abandonment and erosion over time.
Inclusion in the monument protection regulations requires that any intervention in the property must be monitored by the monument protection authority National Commission on Monuments, Places and Historic Assetsto ensure that its architectural values and original context are respected.
In recent years there has been an impetus from private investors and actors in connection with architectural heritage The highlight is the Parador Ariston and restore its public function as a cultural, gastronomic or architectural space of interpretation. The interest in its restoration reflects not only the aesthetic appreciation of the work, but also its historical significance as a testimony to modernity in Argentina.
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