Torre Monumental ( Spanish for "Monumental Tower"), formerly known as Torre de los Ingleses ("Tower of the English"), is a

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure that house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another building ...

located in the ''barrio'' (district) of Retiro 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 ...

. It is situated in the Plaza Fuerza Aérea Argentina (formerly ''Plaza Británica'') by Avenida San Martín and Avenida del Libertador. It was a gift from the local

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

community to the city in commemoration of the centennial of the May Revolution of 1810. After the

Falklands War The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...

in 1982, the tower's original name was dropped, though some still call it ''Torre de los Ingleses''.

History

On September 18, 1909 the

Argentine National Congress The National Congress of Argentina () is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies. The Senate, a third of whose members are elected to ...

passed Law N° 6368, consisting of an offer by the British residents of Buenos Aires to erect a monumental column to commemorate the centennial of the May Revolution. Although the centenary monument was initially considered to be a column, it ultimately took the form of the clock tower. A 1910 exhibition of project proposals at the ''Salón del Bon Marché'', today the Galerías Pacífico, resulted in the jury's award to English architect Sir Ambrose Macdonald Poynter (1867–1923), nephew of the founder of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

. The tower was built by Hopkins y Gardom, with materials shipped from

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

such as the white Portland stone and the

brick A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...

s from Stonehouse, Gloucestershire (see below). The technical personnel responsible for the construction also came from England. The sudden death of King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

on May 6, 1910, prompted the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to cancel its delegation to the Centenary celebrations, and the cornerstone was not laid until November 26. Other delays that followed were due to the late vacationing of the gas company that was installed in the square in 1912 and the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1914. The inauguration of the building took place on May 24, 1916 and was attended by the

President of Argentina The president of Argentina, officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation, is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under Constitution of Argentina, the national constitution, the president is also the Head of go ...

Victorino de la Plaza and British dignitaries led by the minister plenipotentiary Reginald Tower. In 1982, bitterness over the

and Argentina's subsequent defeat led to a sharp rise in anti-British sentiment. The tower was renamed ''Torre Monumental'' ("Monumental Tower") and the square where the tower is situated ''Plaza Británica'' ("British Square") was renamed '' Plaza Fuerza Aérea Argentina'' ("

Argentine Air Force The Argentine Air Force (, or simply ''FAA'') is the air force of Argentina and one of three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic. In 2018, it had 13,837 military and 6,900 civilian personnel. FAA commander in chief is Brigadie ...

Square"). The war has triggered acts of

vandalism Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The t ...

against the tower, including a

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

explosion detonated at its base in November 1984 (in which, however, the monument sustained only minor damage). During the government of Mayor Fernando de la Rúa (1996–1999), the tower underwent extensive restoration. Public access was restored and a glass lift to the 6th floor, utilising the original British machinery, was opened. The 6th floor features a small exhibition of elements of the original lift and a view over the district of Retiro, Retiro railway terminal and the

Port of Buenos Aires The Port of Buenos Aires () is the principal maritime port in Argentina. Operated by the ''Administración General de Puertos'' (General Ports Administration), a state enterprise, it is the leading transshipment point for the foreign trade of Arge ...

; the clock pendulum is accessible on the 7th floor. In 2006 the building was closed to the public for technical maintenance. The building is occasionally painted with anti-British

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

Description

The tower is built in

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

style, the building is decorated with symbols of the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

and features the thistle of Scotland, the English rose, the Welsh dragon and the Irish shamrock. The tower reaches a height of and has eight floors. The clock and the bells were designed in imitation of the ones at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

. The tower is topped by an octagonal copper roofed

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

. Above the entrance there are the shields of Argentina and Great Britain and the inscription ''"al gran pueblo argentino, los residentes británicos, salud, 25 de mayo 1810-1910"'' ("To the health of the great Argentine people, from the British residents, May 25, 1810–1910").

Gallery

File:Torre Monumental-Plano-1910.jpg, File:Torre_Monumental_Buenos_Aires_con_Palomas.JPG, File:CABA_-_Retiro_-_Torre_Monumental.jpg, File:Plaza_y_Ex-_Torre_de_lo_Ingleses.JPG, File:Plaza_Fuerza_Aérea_Argentina.jpg, File:La Torre Monumental.jpg, File:Torre Monumental April 2005.jpg, File:2011.10.17.173636_Escudo_Torre_Monumental_Retiro_Buenos_Aires.jpg, File:Torre Monumental Retiro.jpg, File:Torre_Monumental_-_2.jpg,

References

External links

Official site

Datasheet at Towerclocks.org

{{Buenos Aires landmarks Towers completed in 1916 Buildings and structures in Buenos Aires Tourist attractions in Buenos Aires Bell towers Clock towers in Argentina