housing for the masses: casa colectiva martín rodríguez, 1943

It was the end of an era. The ineffectiveness of the Comisión Nacional de Casas Baratas (CNCB) was evident by the end of the 1930’s. Proof can be seen in the huge number of alternative organizations to take up the slack suggested by city officials & the national Congress. Also, the number of constructed units was only small percentage of original projections.

A new commission was formed in 1943 under the military government of Pedro Ramírez –the CAVP (Comisión Asesora de la Vivienda Popular)– to coordinate construction of housing projects with national tax agencies, banks & the Ministry of Public Works (MOP). Around the same time, a new ministerial position was created –the Secretaría de Trabajo y Previsión– & given to Juan Perón. Under his jurisdiction were both the CAVP & the CNCB. In 1944, the CNCB was officially dissolved & two other organizations assumed its functions: the Consejo de la Vivienda in 1944 & the Administración Nacional de la Vivienda in 1945.

I’m slim on info for this particular project. Although I should go back to the Sociedad Central de Arquitectos, I just don’t have the time. It was projected in 1940 with construction completed prior to the dissolution of the CNCB. I don’t know who the architect is, but there are 63 one-bedroom units, 50 two-bedrooms & 28 three-bedrooms for a total of 141 units. What’s really great about this building is its shape. Instead of creating the standard enclosed patio, one section has been turned in to allow air & light inside. I like the “G.” Sorry about the average quality of the pics… it is almost officially winter & good light is scarce.

The curved section, each floor with its own balcony, is one of its more outstanding features. And tenants get the classic Buenos Aires view of the Puente Trasbordador. I hadn’t been to this part of the Riachuelo in years, & I couldn’t believe how bad it has become… a huge pile of sewage sits in the center of the inlet. But if they ever clean up the river, these houses will be prime real estate:

On the ground floor, a small commercial strip sits vacant with fancy lamps & a nice entrance to one section of apartments:

Side views along Martín Rodríguez:

The entrance to the twisted courtyard was open & no one seemed to mind me walking in. I couldn’t resist… I can always play the dumb foreigner if I get caught 🙂 The benches & lamps weren’t in great condition but are nice additions to give use to the space as well as a sense of community. Notice how the sidewalk & the building itself is raised high above street level. The banks of the Riachuelo often flooded, so elevating the entire structure makes sense:

My favorite bit of flair was the glass panels & towers decorating the staircases. They reminded me a bit of Pirovano’s design on the Casa Colectiva América:

Direct link → Master list of all Housing for the Masses posts.