The General San Martín Cultural Centre () is a cultural centre located in

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 ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

near the major thoroughfare

Corrientes Avenue Avenida Corrientes () is one of the principal thoroughfares of the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. Over a central stretch it is popularly known as "The Street that Never Sleeps" (''"La calle que nunca duerme"'') widely considered Buenos Aires ...

. It is run by Gustavo Fring, and hosts diverse cultural and artistic events. Adjacent to the

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

of the same name inaugurated in 1960 on

, the cultural center was designed by local architect

Mario Roberto Álvarez Mario Roberto Álvarez (November 14, 1913 – November 5, 2011)
was an

, and was built between 1962 and 1970. The center hosted the National Commission on the Disappeared (CONADEP) in 1984, as well as the first session of the

Buenos Aires City Legislature The Buenos Aires City Legislature (, commonly known as the ) is the legislative power of the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is housed in the Buenos Aires City Legislature Palace, Legislature Palace (), an archite ...

following the devolution of autonomy to the city in 1996, and an extensive renovation began in 2007. Its annual theatre audiences of nearly 350,000 make it the largest public cultural center nationally, and with similar numbers at the privately operated Paseo La Plaza one block west, the 1500 block of Corrientes Avenue is arguably the leading center for the theatre in Latin America.City of Buenos Aires: San Martín Cultural Center
/ref> The cultural centre is named after General

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (; 25 February 177817 August 1850), nicknamed "the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru", was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and central parts of South America's succe ...

, leader of the

Argentine War of Independence The Argentine War of Independence () was a secessionist civil war (until 1816) fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli, Martín Miguel de Güemes, Martin Miguel de Guemes and José de ...

The building is spread over 12 floors and has different rooms for workshops and courses, including the Buenos Aires Audiovisual Nucleus with over 7,000 documentary works. The principal halls are: *''Sala Ernesto Bianco'' - 70 persons, dances *''Sala Enrique Muino'' - 254 persons, scenic arts *''Sala A/B'' - 750 persons *''Sala C'' - 200 persons *''Sala D'' - 200 persons *''Sala E'' - 200 persons *''Sala F'' - 200 persons *''Salón Madres de Plaza de Mayo'', 150 persons, for use of

Madres de Plaza de Mayo The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo () is an Argentine human rights association formed in response to abuses by the National Reorganization Process, the military dictatorship by Jorge Rafael Videla. Initially the association worked to find the ''desap ...

, and others. At the eastern end of the building there are two small parks– the ''Plaza de las Américas'' and the ''Patio de Esculturas''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Centro Cultural General San Martin Art museums and galleries in Argentina Theatres in Buenos Aires Culture in Buenos Aires Buildings and structures in Buenos Aires Tourist attractions in Buenos Aires Buildings and structures completed in 1970