Mar del Plata Museum of the Sea, Public aquarium and marine museum in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
The Mar del Plata Museum of the Sea is an aquarium and museum holding approximately 30,000 seashells and tanks with various fish species from Argentine waters. The collection spans multiple levels and displays marine habitats as well as geological formations.
The project started in 1932 when Benjamin Sisterna received 15 seashells and spent decades building a collection. The museum opened its doors in 2000, finally making the private gathering available to the public.
The café was named Gloria Maris after the scientific name of a shell the founder prized, and the gift shop, Sea Shop Aurantium, sold marine crafts from around the world. The museum's name for its shell hall, the nacre level, refers to mother-of-pearl. Sisterna, a co-founder of the food company Havanna, was born in Santa Fe, inland, and lived his last 40 years in Mar del Plata.
The museum closed permanently on 24 September 2012 for lack of official funds, so the building on Avenida Colón 1114 can no longer be visited inside. The multinational technology company Globant acquired it in 2014. Its former Gloria Maris café and Sea Shop Aurantium no longer operate.
The Gloria Maris café took its name from the scientific name of a shell in the collection that founder Benjamín Sisterna prized above the rest. The same name was also given to the hill where the museum stood, according to the English-language account of the building.
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