Centro Cívico

Despite the kitsch merchants who pervade the plaza with Siberian huskies and St. Bernards for photographic poses, and the graffiti that often deface sculptor Emilio Sarneguet’s equestrian statue of the controversial General Roca, the handsome array of buildings that border it would be the pride of many cities around the world. The view north to Lago Nahuel Huapi is a bonus, even when the boxy Bariloche Center blocks the afternoon sun.

The Centro Cívico was a team effort, originally envisioned by architect Ernesto de Estrada in 1936 and executed under the stewardship of APN director Exequiel Bustillo until its inauguration in 1940. On its south side, when the Municipalidad’s Torre Reloj (Clock Tower) sounds at noon, figures from Patagonian history appear to mark the hour. Other buildings of interest, with steep-pitched roofs and gracefully arched recovas that offer shelter from inclement winter weather, include the Correo (post office) and the Museo de la Patagonia.

Exequiel Bustillo’s brother, the famous architect Alejandro Bustillo, designed the Intendencia de Parques Nacionales (National Park Headquarters, San Martín 24), one block to the north, to harmonize with the Centro Cívico. Together, the structures form a national historical monument and represent the best of Argentine Patagonia.