Hotel Gondolín, hotel en Buenos Aires, Argentina
Hotel Gondolín is a three-story building in Villa Crespo painted blue, containing around 23 rooms spread across its floors. The space functions as both residence and cultural hub, hosting sewing and design workshops alongside daily living quarters for its inhabitants.
The building operated as a traditional hotel in the 1990s but later became primarily a site for sex work with severe deterioration and unsafe conditions. The women living there formed the Asociación Civil Gondolín in 2003 and took over management themselves, transforming it into a safe residence for trans and travesti women.
The name Gondolín references a refuge from a well-known tale, reflecting the safety its residents have built there. The women use the hotel as a gathering place where they share meals, support each other, and live freely as themselves, creating bonds stronger than typical family ties.
The hotel is located on Araoz Street in Villa Crespo and is easily identified by its blue exterior and open entrance leading to shared communal spaces. Remember that this is primarily a residence, so respecting the privacy and daily life of the women living there is essential when visiting.
A 2005 documentary by filmmaker Fernando Lopez Escriba captured daily life at the hotel and won recognition at a major LGBTQ+ film festival in Argentina. Later, a Madrid publisher released a photo book honoring this space as an example of collective self-management and community resilience.
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