Estadio Luna Park

Estadio Luna Park (commonly known as Luna Park) is a multi-purpose arena in Buenos Aires. Located at the corner of Avenida Corrientes and Avenida Bouchard; in the San Nicolás neighborhood. Initially, the arena primarily hosted boxing and other sporting events. In the 1950s, it was expanded to host stage shows and concerts. The stadium has hosted countless internationally famous personalities, including Pope John Paul II, several ballets, tennis and volleyball matches, world championship and important non-championship boxing fights involving Nicolino Locche, Hugo Corro, Santos Laciar, Carlos Monzón, Omar Narvaez, Juan Roldán, Julio César Vásquez and many other famous boxers, circuses, the Harlem Globetrotters, Holiday on Ice and many more. The arena also hosted the 1950 FIBA World Championship, the final phase of the 1990 Basketball World Championship and the 1976 Basketball Intercontinental Cup in which Real Madrid won the competition. The arena also hosted the Six Days of Buenos Aires cycle race.

1. History

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Buenos Aires was inhabited by thousands of immigrants from Europe. Additionally, there was an abundance of tourists from throughout the Americas. In 1910, Italian merchant Domingo Pace built Luna Park, an open street fair in the heart of the city. By the 1920s, the amusement park became the playground of the aristocrats and wealthy in Argentina. With the change of scenery, the park began to decline and by 1929, many of the rides were abandoned. In 1931, Ismael Pace (son of Domingo) and boxing legend Jose Pepe Lectoure purchased land from the city. With the decline of Luna Park, Pace envisioned creating a sports arena in the likes of Madison Square Garden and the Berlin Sportpalast. Before opening in 1932, the arena went through three names: "Estadio de Corrientes y Bouchard", "Catedral del Boxeo", then "Palacio de los Deportes", before settling on "Estadio Luna Park" (in remembrance of the now torn down amusement park). The arena opened in February 1932 as an open-air venue and carnival. Early on, the arena hosted a boxing match every Saturday, with the first match being held on 5 March 1932. At this time, the arena could sit 22,000 spectators. During the off season, the arena ran rampant with the homeless, causing the venue to become an enclosed space in 1934. During the Second World War, the arena became the site of many Nazi and Fascist rallies. In 1944, during a charity event to benefit the victims of an earthquake in San Juan, Eva Duarte and Juan Perón met for the first time. In the 1950s, the arena began to decline. Lectoure and Pace were pressured by the city to seek better revenue. In 1951, renovations began for the arena in the style of Art Deco, substantially, the capacity of the arena was reduced. Before construction ended, Pace and Lectoure died. Ownership of the venue was given to Lectoure's son, Juan Carlos Lectoure. Known as Tito, he converted the arena into the site for concerts and it became a major venue for the Argentine rock scene. In 2007, the arena was declared a National Historic Monument. After the death of Tito Lectoure's aunt, Ernestina Devecchi de Lectoure (in 2013), ownership of the arena was transferred to the Argentine branches of Salesians of Don Bosco and Caritas Internationalis, according to what she previously stated in her will. The Salesians Society and Caritas own a 50% each of the arena.

1. Notable concerts

'Other artists that have performed at Luna Park include: Blue Man Group, Harlem Globetrotters, other events include Diego Maradona's wedding (1989) and the funerals of Carlos Gardel (1935), Julio Sosa (1964) and Ringo Bonavena (1976).

1. Recordings

On August 19 & 20, 2012, the American progressive metal band Dream Theater recorded Live at Luna Park. On May 29, 2013, the Finnish singer Tarja Turunen recorded Luna Park Ride. Emir Kusturica & No Smoking Orchestra released in 2005 the live DVD Live Is A Miracle In Buenos Aires, recorded at Luna Park. Huracanes en Luna plateada live album by Los Piojos was released in 2002. El Regreso, by Andrés Calamaro, was released in 2005.

1. Gallery


1. References


1. External links

Official website

Nearby Places View Menu

24 m

Six Days of Buenos Aires

The Six Days of Buenos Aires was a former six-day cycling event, held in Luna Park stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina. As many as 27 editions took place from 1936 until 2000, though there were at times single years or even long gaps (such as 1950-55 and 1965-82) when the event was not raced.

Event Stadium

Torre Bouchard

Torre Bouchard is a 30-story high skyscraper in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The building houses offices for several international companies, such as The Boston Consulting Group, Weatherford, and Aerolíneas Argentinas. The World Bank has also placed its Argentina offices in the tower. The building was designed in 1991 by SEPRA Arquitectos, a local architectural firm whose stamp is on numerous other high-rises in the Catalinas Norte office park. The Bouchard Tower was inaugurated in 1996 and is 110 m (361 ft) high, and includes 36,025 m2 (388,000 ft²) of indoor space.

Landmark

Libertad Palace

The Libertad Palace, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Cultural Center (Spanish: Palacio Libertad, Centro Cultural Domingo Faustino Sarmiento) is a cultural centre located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the largest of Latin America, and the third or fourth largest in the world. The building was originally opened in 1928 as the Buenos Aires Central Post Office ("Palacio de Correos"), operating until 2002. During successive years, it was refurbished and reopened in 2015 as a cultural center. It was named for a few years after former president of Argentina Néstor Kirchner, who had overseen its conversion. The name is politically polarizing in Argentina, with the country's presidency announcing the name would be changed in March 2024. Despite this, the name "Palacio Libertad" only applies to the building itself. As of October 10, 2024, the building was renamed "Domingo Faustino Sarmiento". The nine-floor centre has a concert hall; five other auditoriums for theater and concerts; 18 halls for poetry readings, performance art, and other events; 40 rooms of art and history galleries totaling 15,000 square meters (160,000 sq ft) on six floors; 16 rehearsal rooms; and two rooftop terraces. It is possible to reach the centre with Line B and Line E of the city's underground, at Leandro N. Alem and Correo Central respectively.

Art Museum

Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires

The Buenos Aires Institute of Technology (Spanish: Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires, ITBA) is a top private university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Its focus is primarily on Engineering, Information Technology and Business studies. ITBA maintains cooperation agreements with over 50 universities in 20 countries.

University