Galerías Pacífico, Commercial building and shopping center in downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina
Galerías Pacífico is a four-storey building with two basements occupying almost the whole block bounded by Florida, Viamonte, San Martín and Córdoba Avenue in Buenos Aires. Its French academicist facade has Corinthian fluted columns two storeys tall, pilasters between the windows, triangular pediments and brackets carrying balconies on the second floor. Inside, two covered galleries 10 metres wide, one 105 and one 70 metres long, meet in a central rotunda under a glass dome.
Designed by Roland Le Vacher in 1888, it was originally intended as an Argentine branch of Paris's Au Bon Marché department store. The building became an important commercial landmark in downtown Buenos Aires throughout the twentieth century.
The murals inside the central dome were painted in 1945–1947 by Antonio Berni, Lino Spilimbergo, Juan Carlos Castagnino, Demetrio Urruchúa and the Galician Manuel Colmeiro Guimarás. They are considered the most important example of Argentine muralism. The building also houses the Centro Cultural Borges, inaugurated in October 1995 by King Juan Carlos I of Spain, with more than 10,000 m² of exhibition space.
The building has four entrances, one on each of the streets that bound the block: Florida, Córdoba, San Martín and Viamonte. Inside, two covered galleries cross at a central rotunda; the longer gallery runs 105 metres and the shorter 70 metres. The complex has four floors and two basements, with the shopping centre on the lower levels and the Centro Cultural Borges and university facilities above.
The building houses Centro Cultural Borges, named after the celebrated Argentine writer, offering tango classes and art exhibitions alongside shopping. This cultural venue adds a layer of artistic engagement rarely found in commercial spaces.
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