Our premises were built to be a CONVENT in 1734 by Ignacio Bustillo of Zeballos, general of the Jesuit order, which employed brother Arq. Andrés Blanqui. The building had complementary functions to the monastery, ie logistics due to its privileged proximity to the port, located then at one block from the monastery . Among others, local 28 and 29 of the building reflect the original building ma
terials: thick beams of 7 meters long , each 40 cm thick, almost 1 meter thick walls. The majority of the floors and some ceilings are made of hardwoods such as Quebracho or pitch pine. As you know, the area of San Telmo area was under the influence of the Jesuit Order, in terms of religion, politics, education and economy, as well as socially, communications, logistics. Up to 1767 when the Jesuit order was brutally expelled also out of these latitudes and the premises changed hands and became property of the aristocrats. In 1776, Buenos Aires was named by the King Carlos II of Spain as a capital of the newly created Viceroyalty reporting directly to S pain . In 1860, Eng. Huergo renewed parts of the building to adapt it to new roles also in the context of the booming business of the slave trade in the neighboring port. In 1871 the House was briefly abandoned because of yellow fever - but according to the annals that the premises wer used entirely used for the traffic of slaves up to a.D. 1913
Jorge Luis Borges gave lectures in the ex monastery and the composer J. Ramos taught piano for many years. The painter Carlos Castagnino gave painting lessons, accompanied by Raúl Soldi and later on also Marta Venzani, as well as Liliana Ferrari, at present . But the premises wer also the home for Jorge Eduardo Villarino, the most famous Argentine burglar and world champion of prison escapes, according to Guinness' book of Records. The ex monastery counts with frescos by Florencio Molina Campos (1891-1959) in the entrance of San Lorenzo 325. The courtyards served as decorum for films such as
Evita, Madonna; dir. Alan Parker, 1996,
Highlander II, Sean Connery, 1998,
The curls of Lulu; dir. José Santiso, 2012,
Focus with Will Smith, 2013
Besides the bar and petit restaurant "Santos", the property houses local, housing temporary, Museum, Gallery, bar, restaurant, offices and workshops of craftsmen and artists, and neighbors, associated in the "Association of friends and neighbors of San Pedro Telmo",
