Bernasconi Institute
Encyclopedia
The Bernasconi Institute is an architecturally-significant primary school in the Parque Patricios
section of Buenos Aires
.
and his father classified and mounted their extensive collection of fossils and artifacts, gathered in excursions along the vast lot. Following his landmark exploration of Patagonia
during the 1870s and '80s, Moreno established a charitable school at the estate, soon becoming a magnet for the largely underprivileged children of the Nueva Pompeya
area. Selling the property to swiss argentine
shoe manufacturer Félix Bernasconi, Moreno's dream for a landmark school at the site was included by the Swiss industrialist in his will. Bernasconi's death in 1914 was followed by lobbying for federal contributions to the project on the part of Moreno, who leveraged the prestige he earned in his role in the Boundary treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina and as Assistant Director of the National Education Council
to secure funding for the new school.
Passed the Argentine Congress in 1918, Law 1420 provided the needed appropriations, and on September 26, 1921, the cornerstone was laid in a ceremony led by President Hipólito Yrigoyen
. Designed by local architect Juan Waldrorp, the eclectic, Italianate-influenced building would be the largest school built in Buenos Aires to that point, and measured 140 m (460 ft) in length.
Inaugurated in April 1929, the Bernasconi Institute featured a carillon
tower, two, 1200 m² (13,000 ft²) patio
s, two heated indoor pools, an auditorium
seating 370. It would also include archaeological and natural science museumsthe Museo Geográfico Dr. Juan B. Terán and the Museo de Ciencias Naturales Dr. Ángel Gallardocreated largely with exhibits drawn from Moreno's vast collections (housed mainly in the La Plata Museum
, which he directed until his death in 1919).
Heading an establishment which initially included separate boys' and girls' schools, its first director, Rosario Vera Peñaloza (18731950), created the Argentine Primary School Museum, which includes an antiquarian library, landscape art
exhibits and botanical garden
s; she and one of her successors in the post, Martha Salotti (18991980) were acknowledged during the late 1990s with the naming of two streets in the new, Puerto Madero
district in their honor.
Remaining among the largest in Buenos Aires, the institute's four primary schools enroll around 3,600 students yearly, and its kindergarten
, around 580, as well as an adult education
facility.
Parque Patricios
Parque Patricios is a barrio located on the southern side of Buenos Aires, Argentina belonging to the fourth comuna.Parque Patricios underwent a transformation during the beginning of the 1900's...
section of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
.
Overview
An estate on an eight-hectare (20 acre) property in Buenos Aires' southside became the site of a homemade museum in 1866, when 14-year-old Francisco MorenoFrancisco Moreno
Francisco Pascacio Moreno was a prominent explorer and academic in Argentina, where he is usually referred to as Perito Moreno...
and his father classified and mounted their extensive collection of fossils and artifacts, gathered in excursions along the vast lot. Following his landmark exploration of Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
during the 1870s and '80s, Moreno established a charitable school at the estate, soon becoming a magnet for the largely underprivileged children of the Nueva Pompeya
Nueva Pompeya
Nueva Pompeya is a neighbourhood in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Located in the South side, it has long been one of the city's proletarian districts steeped in the tradition of tango and one where many of the first tangos were written and performed....
area. Selling the property to swiss argentine
Swiss Argentine
Until 1940, emigrated to Argentina, some 44.000 Swiss, who settled mainly in the provinces of Cordoba and Santa Fe and to a lesser extent, in Buenos Aires in 1856, founded in Santa Fe, the colony farm Esperanza, the mother of agricultural colonies in Argentina, and thus began a long process of...
shoe manufacturer Félix Bernasconi, Moreno's dream for a landmark school at the site was included by the Swiss industrialist in his will. Bernasconi's death in 1914 was followed by lobbying for federal contributions to the project on the part of Moreno, who leveraged the prestige he earned in his role in the Boundary treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina and as Assistant Director of the National Education Council
Pizzurno Palace
The Pizzurno Palace, as the "Sarmiento Palace" is commonly known, is an architectural landmark in the Recoleta section of Buenos Aires and the location of the Argentine Ministry of Education.-Overview:...
to secure funding for the new school.
Passed the Argentine Congress in 1918, Law 1420 provided the needed appropriations, and on September 26, 1921, the cornerstone was laid in a ceremony led by President Hipólito Yrigoyen
Hipólito Yrigoyen
Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Irigoyen Alem was twice President of Argentina . His activism became the prime impetus behind the obtainment of universal suffrage in Argentina in 1912...
. Designed by local architect Juan Waldrorp, the eclectic, Italianate-influenced building would be the largest school built in Buenos Aires to that point, and measured 140 m (460 ft) in length.
Inaugurated in April 1929, the Bernasconi Institute featured a carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
tower, two, 1200 m² (13,000 ft²) patio
Patio
A patio is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is typically paved. It may refer to a roofless inner courtyard of the sort found in Spanish-style dwellings or a paved area between a residence and a garden....
s, two heated indoor pools, an auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
seating 370. It would also include archaeological and natural science museumsthe Museo Geográfico Dr. Juan B. Terán and the Museo de Ciencias Naturales Dr. Ángel Gallardocreated largely with exhibits drawn from Moreno's vast collections (housed mainly in the La Plata Museum
La Plata Museum
The La Plata Museum is a natural history museum in La Plata, Argentina.The building, 135 meters long, today houses 3 million fossils and relics , an amphitheatre, opened in 1992, and a 58,000-volume library, serving over 400 university researchers...
, which he directed until his death in 1919).
Heading an establishment which initially included separate boys' and girls' schools, its first director, Rosario Vera Peñaloza (18731950), created the Argentine Primary School Museum, which includes an antiquarian library, landscape art
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
exhibits and botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
s; she and one of her successors in the post, Martha Salotti (18991980) were acknowledged during the late 1990s with the naming of two streets in the new, Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero, also known within the urban planning community as the Puerto Madero Waterfront, is a barrio of the Argentine capital at Buenos Aires CBD, occupying a significant portion of the Río de la Plata riverbank and representing the latest architectural trends in the city of Buenos...
district in their honor.
Remaining among the largest in Buenos Aires, the institute's four primary schools enroll around 3,600 students yearly, and its kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, around 580, as well as an adult education
Adult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
facility.