Galería Güemes, Commercial gallery and pedestrian passage in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Galería Güemes is an Art Nouveau building that extends through the center of Buenos Aires, connecting Florida and San Martín streets. Inside, ornate marble columns and glass domes create a distinctive passage through multiple floors.
The Italian architect Francesco Gianotti won the design competition in September 1912 for a skyscraper promoted by Emilio San Miguel and David Ovejero. Works began on 10 March 1913 and the gallery opened on 15 December 1915, built entirely in reinforced concrete by GEOPÉ at a cost of 15 million pesos. Its 87-metre tower and 80-metre central body exceeded the height limit, so the mayor Joaquín de Anchorena backed a pedestrian passage through the block as a condition.
The name honours Martín Miguel de Güemes, a hero of the Argentine War of Independence and leader of the gaucho war. At its opening on 15 December 1915 the writer Ricardo Rojas gave a lecture on the general's figure, and Güemes' grandsons Adolfo and Domingo attended the ceremony.
The passage runs 116 metres between Florida and San Martín, with shops on two levels, so pedestrians can cross the block indoors. Two halls 20 metres high and 12 metres across, each with a circular dome, mark the entrances. The building stands in the Catedral area of the city centre, a few blocks from Avenida de Mayo.
French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince, lived in an apartment within the building during his time in Buenos Aires. This connection to an internationally recognized author adds a layer of literary history to the space.
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