Starting point is El Cairo [corner of Santa Fe and Sarmiento], an Art Deco café with excellent coffee and where walking tour "Walk of the Century" ended. The walking tour leads along several Works and Places of Patrimonial Value in Rosario.
Palacio Fuentes
Juan Fuentes was a Spanish immigrant, arriving in Argentina in 1868. His is the success story of a man who started out as a laborer but worked his way up to become one of the rich of Rosario. In the 1920s he commissioned the construction of the 65 meters high Fuentes Palace, which you see across the road. Look up and admire the elaborate bronze lanterns in the "loggia" - the gallery along the roof. Absolute masterpieces are the huge bronze doors, featuring a bizarre mix of reliefs.
Hidden Passage
Walk one and half blocks down Santa Fe, crossing Sarmiento and San Martín, and look on your right side for the sign "Pasaje de Córdoba" In this city, which is completely laid out in a grid pattern, it's a treasure to find a narrow, almost hidden passage that cuts a block in two. Its old name is "Calle Pan" [street of bread]. Unfortunately, the construction of the cheap eatery on the corner demolished part of the mosaic floor and the façade of stained leaded windows which characterize the rest of the passage.
The passage leads to Córdoba where you take a left to walk one block, just to admire the front of the Jockey Club Rosario [corner Maipú and Córdoba]. The construction was completed in 1915 and designed by Eduardo Le Monnier, a French architect who was involved in several projects in Rosario, like La Bola de Nieve. The Jockey Club became a favorite meeting place for the upper-class male circles and still only admits members.
Success Story of La Favorita
Turn around and follow Córdoba until you hit the corner with Sarmiento, where the huge, luxurious store "Falabella" can't be missed. Another success story, this time from Ramón and Angel García, two Asturian immigrants who started a lace shop in 1987. They grew rapidly, importing European fashion from Paris and soon outgrew the building. In the 1920s the shop was replaced by a European-style department store and carried the name of "Edificio La Favorita". Walk inside and admire the large central part of the store, from where elliptical staircases go up to the upper levels. Look high up to see the ceiling which consists of an extraordinary octagonal, glass dome.
Another three blocks up Córdoba you take a left onto Corrientes, which you follow until you hit the corner of San Luis to admire a neocolonial building. Residencia Fracassi y Casa de Renta was owned by Dr. Teodoro Fracassi, a well-known figure in Rosarian society. The building dates from 1925 and was designed by Angel Guido, a well-established History and City Planning professor at the College of Architecture. It was partly used for commercial activities and had three rented houses on the first floor.
More Walking Tours
These are just a few of the well-known historical masterpieces of the city. You want to learn more? The walking tour "El Paseo del Siglo" starts just a few blocks from here.