10 Amazing Things To See & Do In Retiro, Buenos Aires

The Kavanagh Building is an imposing art-deco skyscraper with 105 unique luxury apartments (each apartment has a different layout). The building itself is steeped in legend. The creator of the building, Corina Kavanagh, commissioned the building to take revenge on Mercedes Anchorena. Corina had a relationship with Mercedes’ son, but Mercedes despised the newly rich and foreign Kavanaghs and managed to end the affair. The building is an act of revenge because Mercedes intended to build the Anchorena mansion in the lot so that her home could be across from the Basilica of the Holy Sacrament, a resting place for her ancestors. Corina purchased it instead and built the skyscraper, blocking any view of the Basilica.

The Estrugamou Building is one of the first testaments to the notion that Buenos Aires is the capital of a thriving independent nation, instead of a colony from Europe. Ironically, it is designed in French Baroque and Second Empire style, featuring four wings and an interior patio. Architecture buffs should inquire about a tour.

Estación Retiro is the reason why Retiro has become such a popular neighborhood, as it is the gate to the city. The station services most of the bus routes in and out of the city, as well as a significant amount of trains that come to Buenos Aires. The grand building was opened in 1915, and you can’t help but feel you’re going back in time when you walk into it.

Retiro is home to a number of theaters but Teatro Colón is the grandest of them all. The acoustics inside the theater make it perfect for the opera or any of the musical acts that play here. While Teatro Colón is a traditional theater, over 100 years old, the managers do not reject new styles of theater and operate an experimental theater where new artists can develop original plays, operas, and unique modes of theater.