THE CASTELAR BUILDING

Most of Avenida de Mayo buildings are part of our great architectural history: The Castelar Hotel is no exception. It’s located in 1150 Avenida de Mayo, the place was built by Architect Mario Palanti (who also built Barolo Palace, another jewel of the Avenue). Opened in 1929, the place was one of the most important hotels of its time. Hostel Colonial tells you the story of this famous building of our city.

The building has 14 floors. The last seven floors are placed behind the line of the main façade, to respect the city regulations for the height of buildings of those times (7 floors). Once called “Excelsior Hotel”, it is 53.4 meters tall. It has an outstanding European-styled architecture and a classic ornamentation combining the charm of old times with modern details.

During the 30s, the hotel hosted Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, during the six months he lives in Buenos Aires. In the room 704 he stayed until three of his plays were presented in our city. He also wrote a large part of his play “Yerma” in this room. The hotel also was the headquarters for the regular gathering of Porteño most famous writers as Norah Lange, Jorge Luis Borges, Oliverio Girondo and Alfonsina Storni, among others. They used to call themselves “Signo” (Sign), as they shared their creations, which would become the avant-garde of Argentine literature.