Kavanagh Building
The Kavanagh Building (Spanish: Edificio Kavanagh) is a residential skyscraper in Retiro, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Designed in 1934 by architects Gregorio Sánchez, Ernesto Lagos and Luis María de la Torre, it is considered a pinnacle of modernist architecture. At the time of its inauguration in 1936, the Kavanagh was the tallest building in Latin America surpassing the Palacio Salvo built in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1928, as well as the tallest building in the world with a reinforced concrete structure.
| Kavanagh Building | |
|---|---|
Kavanagh Building seen from Plaza San Martín | |
| Record height | |
| Tallest in South America from 1936 to 1947[I] | |
| Preceded by | Martinelli Building |
| Surpassed by | Altino Arantes Building |
| General information | |
| Type | Residential |
| Location | Florida 1065 Retiro, Buenos Aires Argentina |
| Coordinates | 34°35′43.5″S 58°22′28.8″W |
| Construction started | 1934 |
| Completed | 1936 |
| Opening | 2 January 1936 |
| Height | |
| Top floor | 120 m (390 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 31 |
| Floor area | 28,000 m2 (300,000 sq ft), on 2,400 m2 (26,000 sq ft) |
| Lifts/elevators | 12 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Gregorio Sánchez, Ernesto Lagos, and Luis María de la Torre |
| Main contractor | Rodolfo Cervini |
| Designated | 1999 |
It is considered one of the quintessential buildings of Buenos Aires. A 2013 Clarín survey of 600 people who are not architects or builders found that the Kavanagh is the building most liked by porteños. The Kavanagh Building was declared a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1994 and a National Historic Monument of Argentina in 1999.