Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve
Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve, Reserva Ecológica de Buenos Aires, also known as Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve, Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur, is a 865-acre (3.50 km2) tract of low land on the Río de la Plata riverbank located on the east side of the district of Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires CBD, Argentina.
After opening in 1918, the Municipal Riverside resort was witness to the splendour and decadence of the “Costanera Sur” promenade. On foot, by car or tram, thousands of porteños came to this place in search of fresh air in summer afternoons, or to bathe in the river, smartly clad in their one piece bathing costume and carrying a towel. In accordance to the 1923 Regulations, men and women bathed in the river separated by the long pier.
During the 1920s and 1930s, the promenade became prosperous with the setting up of bars and coffee shops which added their architectural beauty to the Nereids Fountain built by sculptor Lola Mora, the art deco-styled statue in honor to the Plus Ultra airmen, the bronze lamposts and the Monument in honor to the King and Queen of Spain. The resort became one of the porteños favorite promenades not only during the day but also at night due to the music and variety shows performed in the coffee shops. The decline of the resort started at the end of the 1950s. Facilities began to deteriorate, many coffee shops were demolished and bathing started to be forbidden due to river contamination.
In the early 1970s, a new project was created in addition to those that had been developed in the northern city areas which consisted of reclaiming land from the river in front of the old “Costanera Sur” Riverside Resort. The land-filling started in 1978 using the Dutch “polder” system; embankments were built using debris from demolitions carried out to construct urban motorways. As the zone within the embankments filled with silt from the river, the water confined inside was drained, though this work was not fully completed.
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