J_neveryes

Canada - 17-Mar-25 -

On a Wednesday morning (March 2025), I observed that the CGT building was open.  I asked a man at the reception desk if my partner and I can take a look at the lobby.  After taking a few photos and as we were about to leave, the man at the reception asked it we would like to see the "salas" and directed another staff person - who spoke no English - to take us around.

The voluntold guide then took us up a flight of stairs to Salon Felipe Vallesse, which is a medium sized auditorium.  The auditorium contained 17 rows of seats, a raised platform with a table and a rostrum for speakers, murals around the room, photo portraits of Eva Peron and Juan Domingo Person, and a second-floor balcony at the rear.  Our friendly guide directed us to sit at the speakers' table for a photo opportunity.  Aesthetically speaking, the auditorium was no different than other dated utilitarian auditoriums from the mid-20th century.

Our guide than took us up another flight of stairs to Eva Peron's former office and current museum.  As the museum is not open to the public, our guide first had to locate the key to it. 

The museum is essentially three small rooms.  The first room - which I would guess was originally the waiting room - displayed old newspaper clippings of Eva Peron, a few artifacts, and a life-sized figure of Juan Domingo Peron.  Our guide directed us to stand beside the former president for yet another awkward photo memento.

The second room (photo) is where Eva Peron worked and where her embalmed body was displayed for three years.  The room contained some furniture, more artifacts, and more photos.  We signed a visitors' book in this room, and I noticed that there was approximately one entry per week.

The third room contained a metal table where a cadaver would have laid, a display of old medical tools, and photos of people mourning Eva Peron.  My Spanish was not good enough for me to ask if the embalming of her body took place in this room, but I suspect that it did not and that the displays were simply for educational purposes.

After visiting the museum, our guide took us back down to the entrance of the building, via an elevator that requires one to open and close the door manually.

What made the experience of exploring the building so fascinating for me was that the building - both its exterior and its interior - appears to have been frozen in time.  Additionally, its charm laid in the fact that it was still a "working" building that was unabashedly pro-Peronist, and it did not cater to tourists or non-believers.  Once you remove that unvarnished character or vibe, then the building is simply an unremarkable, tired building from the 1950s.

It is reasonable to believe that the building's connection to Eva Person must have played a role in Argentina nominating it to be a world heritage site.  As much as her cult of personality played - and arguably continues to play - a significant role in Argentine history, I do not believe that this would justify Outstanding Universal Value.  However, I am more agreeable to its world heritage site designation as part of a transnational nomination to highlight the very important history of working-class internationalism from 1850 to 1950, especially considering that today's collective workers' movement faces great challenges and attacks from big businesses.

Els Slots

The Netherlands - 24-Feb-24 -

A visit to Argentina’s contribution to the Workers' Assembly Halls serial nomination at the moment is mostly about what you do NOT get to see. The building of the CGT at 802 Azopardo Street itself is a mildly interesting example of modernist architecture. On its façade it features a mural depicting Eva Peron at a young age, which symbolizes the relationship Juan and Eva Peron had with this labour organization and the building. It’s very much a symbol of the Peronist era, and one wonders what Argentina’s current right-wing government thinks of it and whether they hate it enough to oppose a WH nomination.

Inside, but closed off now to non-members, are two main points of interest. There is the Eva Peron Museum, a reminder that this was the place where Eva’s embalmed body was on display for years after her death. And there is the Salon Felipe Vallese, the main hall decorated by murals depicting scenes of the labour movement.

It will be interesting to see what the focus of the narrative of the overall nomination will be. The title says ‘Assembly Halls’ and indeed what all locations seem to have in common is a multifunctional venue where debates, political meetings, etc took place geared to the ‘working class’. This CGT building apparently has just that in the Salon Felipe Vallese, but it would make no sense to include it in the nomination and keep it closed to the outside world.

Philipp Peterer

Switzerland - 23-Feb-24 -

I see a lot of potential in this nomination. The CTG is the biggest syndicate in Argentina, a country that loves (and is probably partially ruined by) syndicates. This topic is not represented on the list, so it would fill a gap. The building itself was inaugurated 1950 by Juan Perón and was built in Rationalism style. It survived the military dictatorship and is still in use. Unfortunately, it is currently not open to public, but this could change in case of a successful inscription.

I passed the building on a walk through the city centre. It’s just a few blocks from the Casa Rosada (the Argentinian White House) and close to the interesting Mercado San Telmo, the fancy Perto Madero and Siga La Vaca, the one restaurant that every Uber driver recommended to us. It was a short visit of course, as it is only one inaccessible building. At least you can take a picture of the entry area with the stairs through the partial glass door.

If this gets inscribed and opens to public I will definitely be back. I also got inspired to visit the worker’s museum in Copenhagen.