View of the facade of the tenement house

La Paloma’s tenement house, in the neighbourhood of San Telmo, has the same name as a well-known light opera or "sainete" (Argentine one-act farce play) by Alberto Vacarezza.

The tenement houses, at the end of the XIXth century and beginning of the XXth, were very primitive constructions, with small rooms rented at a very low price to labourers working in the neighbourhood. They were generally located close to the port.

In many cases, like in La Paloma, the tenement houses were created taking advantage of buildings of the “Roman House” type; with a long hallway that obstructed the view of the whole house from the entrance door. These buildings generally had two or three courtyards linked together through similar hallways.

Entrance hallway

Later, tenement houses began to be specially constructed as a means of low rent housing with very low quality material.

The most curious singularity of this tenement house is that, while walking through its courtyards and hallways, the accurateness with which Vacarezza described it is confirmed. His play becomes then a true testimony of the type of housing used at the end of the XIXth century and beginning of the XXth.

Another building is located some meters away from La Paloma tenement house, with the National emblem and the name BERNARDINO RIVADAVIA on its front; indicating that this was the first apartments building –created by the National Mortgage Bank-. Some of the apartments then employed by the building controller are currently stores.