The Alas Building ( es, Edificio Alas) is a Rationalist residential and office building located in the San Nicolás section of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the Capital city, capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

. It stands at a height of 141 metres (463 ft) and houses 41 floors. Alas was the tallest building in Buenos Aires between 1955 and 1995, when it was surpassed by the Le Parc tower. It has long been a vital part of the skyline of Buenos Aires, together with other, neighboring buildings on

Leandro Alem Avenue Avenida Leandro N. Alem is one of the principal thoroughfares in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a commercial nerve center of the city's San Nicolás and Retiro districts. It joins Avenida del Libertador and Avenida Paseo Colón, its northern and ...

, such as the similar Comega Building (1930), as well as those built in the

International style International style may refer to: * International Style (architecture), the early 20th century modern movement in architecture *International style (art), the International Gothic style in medieval art *International Style (dancing), a term used in ...

during the 1970s (notably the Catalinas Norte development). Recently, however, it was overshadowed by the construction of several towers in the

Puerto Madero Puerto Madero, also known within the urban planning community as the Puerto Madero Waterfront, is a barrio of Buenos Aires in Argentina in the central business district, occupying a significant portion of the Río de la Plata riverbank and repres ...

area; as of 2009, it remains the 20th tallest building in Argentina. The building was commissioned in 1950 by President

Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine Army general and politician. After serving in several government positions, including Minister of Labour and Vice President of a military dictatorship, he was electe ...

for the Association of Unionized Latin American Workers (''ATLAS, S.A.''); he ordered that plans include an underground

bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

for use in case of war or a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, ...

. Perón, however, did not seek refuge there during the 16 June 1955

bombing of Plaza de Mayo The Bombing of Plaza de Mayo was a massacre that took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 16 June 1955. 30 aircraft from the Argentine Navy and Air Force strafed and bombed Plaza de Mayo square in Buenos Aires in the largest aerial bombing ev ...

by the

Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; es, Armada de la República Argentina). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with t ...

in an attempted coup, nor was he able to do so during his eventual overthrow, three months later.Page, Joseph. ''Perón: A Biography'' New York: Random House, 1983. The building was transferred to the

Argentine Air Force "Argentine Wings" , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 August (anniversary) 1 May (Baptism of fire during the Falklands War) , equipment = 139 aircraft , equipment_label = , battles = * Operation Independence * Operation Soberanía * Falkl ...

after the 1955 coup, and renamed ''ALAS'' ("wings"). The bunker was later converted into Argentine Public Television studios. These were relocated to

Figueroa Alcorta Avenue Avenida Figueroa Alcorta is a major thoroughfare in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a length of over along the city's northside. History The rapid northward growth of the city of Buenos Aires during the late nineteenth century was facilitated by ...

in 1978, though two underground floors are still in occupied by parking spaces, a gym, the boiler room, bike racks and other amenities.

References

{{coord, 34, 35, 57, S, 58, 22, 14.1, W, source:eswiki_region:AR_type:landmark, display=title Office buildings completed in 1951 Buildings and structures in Buenos Aires Residential skyscrapers in Argentina Skyscraper office buildings in Argentina