Due to heavy rains in Buenos Aires over the past week—the city received more than a normal month’s rainfall in just a few days—the entrance gate to Recoleta Cemetery suffered serious damage. Large portions of stucco crashed down last Saturday, & city engineers were on site Monday to figure out a course of repair.
Surprisingly enough, the ceiling is not made of brick like most buildings in Buenos Aires but merely a hollow, wooden frame. Architect Buschiazzo’s budget must have been tight in 1881:
Update (06 Mar 2010): It seems like city officials are taking advantage of the damage in order to make other improvements. The women’s restroom is currently gutted… perhaps a new one is on the way. For the moment, the men’s restroom is for the ladies. This is probably the only time to see the ceiling structure:
Ese tipo de acabado era muy común en esa época para evitar colocar mucho peso a la estructura de la cubierta, además permitia más flexibilidad a la hora de generar las molduras decorativas.
El cañizo aportaba mayor resistencia al acabado de yeso, pero debe recibir buen mantenimiento y aislación.
Gracias Sergio! No soy arquitecto pero me interesa mucho y vi muy pocas estrcuturas de los 1880s con cañizo. Lo que más me sorprende es que sobrevivió 125 años sin el mantenimiento adecuado… es un testamento al architecto y los obreros de la época. Saludos!