Avenida Corrientes
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Avenida Corrientes () is one of the principal thoroughfares of the
Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
capital of
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
. Over a central stretch it is popularly known as "The Street that Never Sleeps" (''"La calle que nunca duerme"'') widely considered Buenos Aires' answer to Broadway as it concentrates many of the main theatres and cinemas as well as famous pizzerias and cafes, being intimately tied to the
tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...
and the
porteño (feminine: ''Porteña'', in Spanish) is mainly used to refer to the residents of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is also used for other port cities, such as El Puerto de Santa María, Spain; Valparaíso, Chile; Mazatlán, Veracruz, Acapulco and ...
sense of identity. Like the parallel avenues Santa Fe, Córdoba, and San Juan, it takes its name from one of the
Provinces of Argentina Argentina has 23 provinces (, singular ) and one autonomous city, Buenos Aires, which serves as the federal capital, as determined by Congress. The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions and exist under a federal system. ...
. It extends 69 blocks from Eduardo Madero Avenue in the eastern
Puerto Madero Puerto Madero, also known within the urban planning community as the Puerto Madero Waterfront, is a Barrios and Communes of Buenos Aires, ''barrio'' of Buenos Aires in the Buenos Aires Central Business District, Central Business District. Occup ...
neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...
to the West and later to the Northwest and ends at Federico Lacroze Avenue in the Chacarita neighborhood. Automobile traffic runs from west to east. Line B of the
Buenos Aires Metro The Buenos Aires Underground (), locally known as Subte (), is a rapid transit system that serves the area of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first section of this network (Plaza de Mayo–Plaza Miserere) opened in 1913, making it the ...
runs most of its length underneath the street. The ''Asociación Amigos de la Calle Corrientes'' ("Friends of Corrientes Street Association") is a group that collaborates on the
urban planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...
of the street. They have placed commemorative plaques on 40 street corners bearing the distinguished figures from the history of the tango.


History

It was named Del Sol during the 17th century, San Nicolás from 1738 to 1808, and De Incháurregui from 1808 until 1822, when it received its current name. Never more than a street of average width during the nineteenth century, traffic swelled after the city began its rapid westward expansion, around 1880. Horse-drawn tramways first ran on the avenue in 1887; but, they soon proved inadequate and in 1910, Mayor Joaquín de Anchorena signed a bill authorizing its widening. The plan called for the massive razing of most of the avenue's north-side real estate and, so, met with strenuous opposition from affected landlords, retailers, as well as intellectuals like Roberto Arlt. A coup d'ètat in 1930, however, made way for the plan's implementation, carried out relentlessly until its completion, in 1936. Today, when referring to Corrientes prior to the widening, the term "Narrow Corrientes" (''Corrientes Angosta'') is still used. Also the name "Corrientes Street" (''calle Corrientes'') is often preferred over the correct "Corrientes Avenue" (a''venida Corrientes'') specially on the famous centrical stretch (with that name it appears famously in several tango lyrics, see below). The newly inaugurated avenue coincided with the construction of the Buenos Aires Obelisk, since then one of the city's most recognizable landmarks, visible for several blocks of the avenue's downtown stretch. The opening of the Obelisk and surrounding Plaza de la República in 1936 created a
roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...
at the 9th of July Avenue intersection. Corrientes, like most major city avenues, was made a one-way thoroughfare by a 1967 municipal ordinance. Growing traffic demands led to the opening of the avenue through the plaza, and around the Obelisk, in 1971. The first few blocks (from Leandro N. Alem to
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
Street) encompass Buenos Aires financial district ("La City") forming its Northern boundary, and are bustling with activity during banking hours – traversed after several blocks by pedestrian Florida St (which forms the district's Western boundary). Further down, for some blocks from
9 de Julio Avenue Avenida 9 de Julio () is a major thoroughfare in the city centre of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Its name honors Argentina's Independence Day, July 9, 1816. The avenue runs around to the west of the Río de la Plata waterfront, from the Retiro dis ...
to Uruguay St the avenue forms the Southern border of the lawyers' district surrounding the nearby Plaza Lavalle and the
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
(see "Points of Interest" below)


Nightlife

For most of the 20th century ''"Calle Corrientes"'' was a symbol of
nightlife Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, ...
in Buenos Aires, traditionally nicknamed "the street that never sleeps", In the 10 blocks West of downtown from Maipu St to Callao Avenue it still holds the largest concentration of theatres and cinemas (in the past together with nearby pedestrian
calle Lavalle Calle may refer to: Places *Calle-Calle River, southern Chile Film and television *''Calle 7'', a Chilean TV Show *''Calle 54'' (2000), a documentary film Music *Calle 13 (band), a Puerto Rican hip hop band *" Calle Ocho" (2009), a hip hop son ...
''"La calle de los cines"'' or "Cinema street") making it the center of commercial theatre in the city and the country. Independent theatre in Buenos Aires for example is called "''off Corrientes"'' (after ''
off Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
''). The corridor includes some outstanding examples of
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
cinema architecture of the '30s and '40s such as
Teatro Gran Rex The Teatro Gran Rex is an Art Deco style theatre in Buenos Aires, Argentina which opened on July 8, 1937, as the largest cinema in Argentina. Located near the centre of the city at 857 Corrientes Avenue, it was designed by the architect Albe ...
, Teatro Opera and Teatro Premier. Also with the largest concentration of bookshops (many second hand), Corrientes was during the day a favourite haunt for intellectuals during the '50s, '60s and '70s (specially at celebrated spots such as "Cafe La Paz") while its famous pizza parlours and restaurants (such as ''Los Inmortales'' and ''Güerrin'') attracted city crowds on Fridays or Saturdays evenings – a night out of "pizza and cinema" (or of theatre going) on Corrientes and neighbouring Calle Lavalle being the standard form of urban weekend entertainment for generations of porteños (as reflected in lyrics such as "Moscato, pizza y fainá"). The ''Revista porteña'' or ''Teatro de revistas'' (Argentina's culture of theatre
revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...
s) with its glittering vedettes and racy ''capo-cómicos'' (legendary starlets and comedians) is still centered around this stretch of Corrientes – the lure of red carpet opening nights where celebrities can be glimpsed adding to the folklore. At its inception – the
Luna Park Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park (Coney Island, 1903), Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Islan ...
is still synonymous with mass sports and entertainment events such as boxing matches or concerts. Throughout the decades the street has seen its own fauna of urban stereotypes, from the "innocent ''
barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...
'' girl" corrupted by the "bright city lights" of many a
tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...
lyric (cf. ' "The Seamstress who Took the Wrong Turn") in the street's cabarets and nightclubs of the 1920s and '30s before its enlargement, to the '60s and '70s ''"valijeros"'' ( 'peeping toms') lone salesmen or office workers (thus nicknamed for their briefcases or ''valijas'') who on lunch breaks sneaked to watch
X-rated An X rating is a film rating that indicates that the film contains content that is considered to be suitable only for adults. Films with an X rating may have scenes of graphic violence or explicit sexual acts that may be disturbing or offensive ...
European movies when they started to appear at that time (visible also on neighbouring Lavalle St) to the '80s ''"psico-bolches",'' artsy students and intellectuals (typically leftist – ''bolchevique'' – and/or dabbling in psychology) who mulled around its bookstores and cultural centres after the return of democracy The emergence of video, the Internet, cineplex and
shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...
s reduced much of the allure of Corrientes, and saw the closing of several famous cinemas and theatres. Yet sidewalks were widened and beautified in 2005 to facilitate retail activity along the avenue, which had declined since the 1970s. and today Corrientes is once again thriving at night - specially among theatre goers, with several major playhouse renovations and additions. Since the '80s the trend towards world-famous Broadway
musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
in Spanish coexists with the more traditional or
avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
serious theatre and the popular Teatro de Revistas. The last blocks of this main stretch, between
Avenida Callao Callao Avenue () is one of the principal thoroughfares in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Overview Mayor Torcuato de Alvear, inspired by the urban redevelopment works in Paris at the direction of Baron Haussmann, drew up master plans for major boul ...
and Uruguay Street are converted into an expansive outdoor reading room during Bookstore Night, an annual event inaugurated in 2007. Mayor
Mauricio Macri Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previously ...
announced in 2010 that the financial district section of Corrientes - between Ninth of July and Avenida Leandro N. Alem, would become a two-way avenue.


Points of interest


Base to obelisk

*
Luna Park Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park (Coney Island, 1903), Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Islan ...
, former
boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
ring, currently used for other sports and entertainment events *The back of the
Buenos Aires Central Post Office The Buenos Aires Central Post Office (, also known as the Palacio de Correos y Telecomunicaciones) building, now the "Palacio Libertad", was the seat of the '' Correo Argentino'' (Argentine Post Office Department) until 2002. It is located in the ...
* Comega Building *The downtown microcentro banking district ("La City") *Pedestrian
Florida Street Florida Street () is a popular shopping street in Buenos Aires CBD, Downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina. A pedestrian street since 1971, some stretches have been pedestrianized since 1913. The Walkability, pedestrian section as such starts at the i ...
*
Teatro Gran Rex The Teatro Gran Rex is an Art Deco style theatre in Buenos Aires, Argentina which opened on July 8, 1937, as the largest cinema in Argentina. Located near the centre of the city at 857 Corrientes Avenue, it was designed by the architect Albe ...
* Teatro Opera *Many of the country's most important theater companies. *Numerous traditional and historical restaurants, including
Argentine cuisine Argentine cuisine is described as a blending of cultures, from the Indigenous peoples of Argentina who focused on ingredients such as humita, potatoes, cassava, peppers, tomatoes, Poroto, beans, and yerba mate, to Mediterranean cuisine, Medit ...
,
Spanish cuisine Spanish cuisine () consists of the traditions and practices of Spanish cooking. It features considerable regional diversity, with significant differences among the traditions of each of Spain's regional cuisines. Olive oil (of which Spain is ...
and
Italian cuisine Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine#CITEREFDavid1988, David 1988, Introduction, pp. 101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Ancient Roman cuisine, Roman times, and later spread ...
. *The
Obelisk of Buenos Aires The Obelisco de Buenos Aires (Obelisk of Buenos Aires) is a List of National Historic Monuments of Argentina, national historic monument and Landmarks in Buenos Aires, icon of Buenos Aires. Located in the Plaza de la República (Buenos Aires), Pla ...
, at the intersection with
9 de Julio Avenue Avenida 9 de Julio () is a major thoroughfare in the city centre of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Its name honors Argentina's Independence Day, July 9, 1816. The avenue runs around to the west of the Río de la Plata waterfront, from the Retiro dis ...
and the Plaza de la República.


“The street that never sleeps”

*''Heladería Cadore'' ice cream shop. *''Los Inmortales'' pizzeria, previously the ''Café de los inmortales'', ("Café of the immortals") with photos of the historic figures that visited it. *''Güerrín'' pizzeria *''Café La Paz'', historic meeting place for
leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politi ...
activists and intellectuals *''Bar Ramos'' *''La Giralda Cafeteria'', serving Spanish-style
hot chocolate Hot Chocolate are a British soul band formed by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson. The group had at least one hit song every year on the UK Singles Chart from 1970 to 1984. Their hits include " You Sexy Thing", a UK number two which also made ...
and churros * General San Martín Theater, state theater which concentrated modern drama and ballet during the later half of the 20th century (as opposed to the Colon Theatre) * Teatro Broadway *'' Paseo La Plaza'', an
urban oasis An urban oasis is a public urban open space, open space, park, or plaza which is located in between buildings or formed by surrounding buildings in an urban setting. It can exist in any kind of culture. There are various sizes of urban oases. ...
with theaters, retail stores and restaurants *''Hernández'', ''Liberarte'', and many other famous
bookstore Bookselling is the commercial trading of books, which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, book people, bookmen, or bookwomen. History The found ...
s


Off-Corrientes

"Off-Corrientes" refers to the alternative playhouse scene, much of it literally concentrated on surrounding streets – although also widely distributed elsewhere in city neighbourhoods. The Rojas Cultural Center of the
University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...
, which promotes experimental art, and like-minded venues such as Gandhi an
Liberarte
(which blend bookstore and cultural centre) although catering to "off-Corrientes" crowds, are themselves located on Corrientes.


''Once''

Further down, Corrientes traverses the
Balvanera Balvanera is a Barrios of Buenos Aires, barrio or neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Origin of name and alternative names The official name, Balvanera, is the name of the ''parroquia'' (parish) centered around the church of ''Nuestra Seño ...
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...
(popularly known as ''Once'') the traditionally
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
neighborhood known for its many synagogues and the
wholesale Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...
and
retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...
sale of clothing (now home to merchants of other nationalities, including
Koreans Koreans are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. The majority of Koreans live in the two Korean sovereign states of North and South Korea, which are collectively referred to as Korea. As of 2021, an estimated 7.3 m ...
,
Bolivians Bolivians () are people identified with the country of Bolivia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Bolivians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being B ...
and
Peruvians Peruvians (''/peruanas'') are the citizens of Peru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as the Caral before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 ...
).


Abasto

Beyond Pueyrredón Avenue is the neighbourhood of Abasto, named thus for holding the once cavernous
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
Mercado de Abasto ''Mercado de abasto'' is a 1955 Argentina, Argentine musical comedy film of the Golden Age of Argentine cinema, classical-industrial era directed by Lucas Demare. Cast *Tita Merello *Pepe Arias as Lorenzo *Juan José Miguez *Pepita Muñoz *José ...
, the city's former central fruit and vegetable market (whose front faces Corrientes Avenue) and for being the home of
Carlos Gardel Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential inter ...
, Argentina most famous tango singer – popularly known as ''"el'' ''morocho del'' ''Abasto"'' (the dark-haired from Abasto). In disrepair not many years ago, the neighborhood is slowly making a comeback, after local developer IRSA turned the imposing old market into what is today, the city's largest shopping center.


Almagro

Further down Corrientes is Almagro, a calm residential neighborhood inhabited by apartment-dwellers, with the centre of activity at the intersection of Medrano and Rivadavia Avenues.


Villa Crespo

Villa Crespo Villa Crespo is a middle class neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, located in the geographical center of the city. It had a population of 83,646 people in 2001, and thus currently a population density of 23,235 inhabitants/km2. Villa Crespo ...
is another traditionally Jewish neighborhood traversed by Corrientes Avenue. Unleavened bread is available for
passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt. According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...
, as are other seasonal specialties. It is in this area (formerly called "Triunvirato") that the greater part of the 1948
Leopoldo Marechal Leopoldo Marechal (June 11, 1900 – June 26, 1970) was one of the most important Argentine writers of the twentieth century. Biographical notes Born in Buenos Aires into a family of French and Basque descent, Marechal became a primary scho ...
novel, '' Adán Buenosayres'', takes place; Marechal also wrote ''Historia de la Calle Corrientes'' in 1937. The neighborhood is home to the
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club. The ''barrio'' was home to tango great
Osvaldo Pugliese Osvaldo Pedro Pugliese (December 2, 1905 – July 25, 1995) was an Argentine tango musician. He developed dramatic arrangements that retained strong elements of the walking beat of salon tango but also heralded the development of concert-style ...
.


Chacarita

Corrientes ends at the Estación Federico Lacroze train station next to Parque Los Andes, where fairs were held until September 2005. Just west of the park is
La Chacarita Cemetery The La Chacarita Cemetery (, also known as "Cementerio del Oeste") is a cemetery located in the Chacarita neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Occupying an area of 95 hectare, it is the largest in the country.lunfardo Lunfardo (; from the Italian ) is an argot originated and developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the lower classes in the Río de la Plata region (encompassing the port cities of Buenos Aires in Argentina and Montevideo in Uruguay) ...
term referring to a person's last dwelling). File:Corrientes Buenos Aires at Night.jpg, Corrientes Avenue at night File:Teatro Broadway (Buenos Aires).JPG, The
Broadway Theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...
. Corrientes Avenue has long been Buenos Aires'
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
. File:Buenos Aires - Avenida Corrientes - Abasto shopping.jpg, Abasto shopping center. The city's wholesale market until 1984, investor
George Soros George Soros (born György Schwartz; August 12, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist. , he has a net worth of US$7.2 billion, Note that this site is updated daily. having donated more than $32 billion to the Open Society Foundat ...
had it converted in 1998. File:Avenida Corrientes y Callao.jpg, Intersection with upscale Callao Avenue


Corrientes in tango music

Corrientes Avenue is featured in several tango lyrics, notably: *''A media luz'' by Carlos Lenzi and Edgardo Donatto *''Calle Corrientes'' by Alberto Vaccarezza and Enrique Delfino *''Corrientes angosta'' by Ángel "Pocho" Gatti *''Corrientes y Esmeralda'' by Celedonio Flores and Francisco Pracánico *''Tristezas de la calle Corrientes'' by Homero Expósito and Domingo Federico, 1942 *''Pucherito de gallina'' *''Café Dominguez''


References


External links

{{Authority control Balvanera
Corrientes Corrientes (; Guaraní: Taragui, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from Buenos Aires and from Posadas, on National Route 12. It has ...