Ariston Club

Parador Ariston
The Building in its original state
Map
Design and construction
Architect(s)Marcel Breuer

The Ariston Club is a building in Mar del Plata, Argentina designed by Marcel Breuer.[1][2] It is part of the Modern Movement,[3][4][5] and complies with four of the five Le Corbusier's Points of Architecture: pilotis, free designing of the floor plan, free designing of the façade, horizontal windows.[5][6][7]

The abandoned Ariston Club, in 2021

Since 2019, it is a National Historic Monument of Argentina.[8][9][10]

History

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Built in two months during 1948,[2][11] it is Breuer's only work in Latin America.[5][6][12][13] Its construction was commissioned by the University of Buenos Aires School of Architecture, and local architects Carlos Coire and Eduardo Catalano associated on the project.[1][10][7][14][15][16][17] It was designed to promote the sale of lots in a nearby real state development.[1]

Since 1993, it has been abandoned.[4][6][10][13]

Design

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Its design, which features a floating concrete double clover, supported by four thin pillars that are not visible from the outside—and featuring volcanic lava tiles—surrounded by wave-shaped glass and wood, is considered to be ahead of its time.[10][13] It was built using regional materials as well, such as the stone used in the back wall and wood used in the cladding and openings.[17]

Uses

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Initially, the building was designed to hold a cafeteria and restaurant. Its designed allowed for all tables to be placed next to a window.[1]

Its golden age was during the fifties when the restaurant was operating. However, from then on, the building fell on disgrace. Several cafeterias used it during the seventies, and, during the eighties, the Bruma y Arena (Mist & Sand) café-bar was installed. Then, the Maryana dancing club followed. During the nineties, it housed the Parrilla Perico barbecue. These uses modified the original structure and downgraded the building's design.[9][10]

Present day

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Run down, in 2021

In 2019, as the Ariston Club was declared National Historical Monument, a proposal for restoration was started, alongside a Change.org petition. There were concerns about possible structural damage caused by the abandonment and marine corrosion (as the building is located next to the sea), that could impede the restoration. However, a technical report concluded the restoration was possible, as the structural damage was low and limited to certain areas.[7][12][13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "A beach club to sell a view" (PDF). Architectural Record: 134–139. July 1948. ISSN 0003-858X.
  2. ^ a b "Parador Ariston" (PDF). Nuestra Arquitectura (in Latin American Spanish) (224). Buenos Aires. April 1948.
  3. ^ Duque, Karina (21 January 2013). "Clásicos de Arquitectura: Parador Ariston / Marcel Breuer" [Architecture Classics: Ariston Club / Marcel Breuer]. Plataforma Arquitectura (in Latin American Spanish). ISSN 0719-8914.
  4. ^ a b Nielsen, Gustavo (8 November 2018). "El escritor Gustavo Nielsen pide salvar el Parador Ariston de Mar del Plata" [Writer Gustavo Nielsen calls for saving the Ariston Club in Mar Del Plata]. Clarín.
  5. ^ a b c Palavecino, Darío (26 October 2017). "Buscan recuperar el parador Ariston, joya del movimiento moderno en Mar del Plata" [Intents to recover the Ariston Club, Mar del Plata's jewel of the modern movement]. La Nación.
  6. ^ a b c Jurado, Miguel (26 November 2019). "Declararán Monumento Histórico a una joya de la Bauhaus" [A Bauhaus jewel to be declared National Historical Monument]. Clarín.
  7. ^ a b c Benedetti, Giorgio (27 November 2020). "Ariston, el parador y secreto mejor guardado de Playa Serena" [Ariston, the club and best kept secret of Playa Serena]. El Cronista.
  8. ^ "Ley 27.538: Declaración de monumento histórico nacional al edificio Parador Ariston, ubicado en el barrio La Serena de la ciudad de Mar del Plata" [27,538 Act: National Historical Monument listing of the Ariston Club, located in the La Serena neighborhood in Mar del Plata]. 2019. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021.
  9. ^ a b Magnone, Héctor (7 April 2021). "Así está hoy el Parador Ariston de Mar del Plata" [The current condition of the Ariston Club in Mar del Plata]. La Voz.
  10. ^ a b c d e Torrijos, Pedro (22 March 2021). "Parador Ariston, la triste historia de una joya de la arquitectura que agoniza en los acantilados de Mar del Plata" [Ariston Club: the sad story of an architectural jewel that agonizes in the Mar del Plata cliffs]. El País. ISSN 1576-3757.
  11. ^ Sala, Carlos (2019). "Walter Gropius en la Argentina: publicaciones, obras y proyectos" [Walter Gropius in Argentina: publications, works and projects]. Reencuentros Con la Literatura en Lengua Alemana (in Latin American Spanish). University of Mendoza.
  12. ^ a b Palavecino, Darío (3 September 2019). "Parador Ariston: otro paso para recuperar una joya escondida en Mar del Plata" [Ariston Club: another step towards recovering a hidden gem in Mar del Plata]. La Nación (in Latin American Spanish).
  13. ^ a b c d Gobbi, Gonzalo (7 October 2019). "El emblemático Parador Ariston se encamina hacia una restauración histórica" [The iconic Parador Ariston is heading towards a historic restoration]. La Capital de Mar del Plata (in Latin American Spanish).
  14. ^ Destefanis, Natalia Sofía (2020). Breuer en Argentina, 1947 : el Parador Ariston en el encuentro entre las ideas y la praxis [Breuer in Argentina, 1947: Ariston Club in the intersection between ideas and praxis]. National University of Córdoba. School of Architecture, Urbanism and Design. ISBN 978-987-4415-77-6. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  15. ^ López Martín, Pablo (1 November 2014). "Una cronología alterada como declaración del principios" (PDF). Ra. Revista de Arquitectura. 16. University of Navarra: 41–48. doi:10.15581/014.16.900. ISSN 1138-5596.
  16. ^ Blake, Peter (1949). Marcel Breuer, architect and designer (PDF). Architectural Record, MoMA. p. 98.
  17. ^ a b Sambrizzi, Francisco (November 2018). "EL CAMINO DE CHAPADMALAL: Territorio y paisaje en torno a la Unidad Turística1" [Chapadmalal Road: Land and scenery surrounding the Touristic Unit 1] (PDF) (in Latin American Spanish). Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)


38°06′24″S 57°34′30″W / 38.10667°S 57.57500°W / -38.10667; -57.57500