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The Legend of the Kavanagh Building in Buenos Aires
Located at the intersection of Florida and San Martin, you can’t avoid noticing the imposing Kavanagh Building, a 1930s skyscraper that combines Modernist, Art Deco, and Rationalist influences. There is an incredible story behind this iconic building in the Retiro neighborhood of Buenos Aires. The Kavanagh Building was born from the despair, spite and pride of a legendary woman. But how does a broken heart translate into architecture? How does an emotional grudge beget the once tallest building in Latin America? Read on to find out.
The tale begins in the 1930s, when Corina Kavanagh was a rich, beautiful and determined woman. Her family was extremely wealthy but with no patrician “old money” blood in their lineage. The aristocracy of Argentina looked down on them and disparagingly called them “new rich.” During those years Corina had maintained a love affair with the young high-born son of Mercedes Castellanos de Anchorena, who strongly opposed the relationship and managed to end it. Corina Kavanagh, hurt and humiliated, dedicated to take revenge. She worked out a bloodless revenge… with reinforced concrete.