The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-12-09
Building Boom
Is Soon to Start
In Buenos Aires

building campaign, unequaled in
scope in the history Of South A.meri-
ca is soon to be started in Buenos
Aires, if the predictions of American
business and construction men here
are successful. The construction
slump Of six years is expected to be
followed by wave Of activity in the
building line designated to relieve the
uncomfortable house, apartment and
office shortage, from which this city
has been suffering for three years.
Unless American capital can be in
terested in investments in Buenos
Aires real estate the financing will
be done almost wholly by British and
French interests, and it is predicted
that building on wholesale scale will
be started as soon as the British and
French exchange once more approach
the normal. It is not anticipated that
American capital will cut a great fig,
ure in the building "drive" in which it
is believed that the expenditure will
reach at least $200,000,000.
Buenos Aires really is ''in a bad
way" for houses and apartments.
Construction has not kept pace with
the constant influx Of new residents
during the past year. Rents have
scared to unexpected heights.
Apartment houses have not yet
gained great popularity with the ma
tive or Spanish-speaking resident.
Europeans and Americans are per-
fectly Eat home" in them as long as
they can keep their minds off the rent
theey must pay. Few people are NOV
ing The operation of changing DOM
iciles is like the old children's game
Of "puss in the corner" When a
family succeeds in getting an apart
ment and furnishing it, it is a case
of holding on ''until death doth them
part"
Families who find it necessary to
leave the country for as long as a
year or two invariably sub-let their
apartments furnished for a consider
alton that removes much Of the sub
stance from a comfortable income.
For four and FIVE room furnished
apartments, 5000, $500 and $400 a
month is asked and paid without a !
Kick. In the very few apartment
houses that have gone up in the past
lew years, every apartment was
spoken for long before the building
vas completed.
Conditions are just as bad in one
family houses. Much valuable space
soes to waste---from an American or
/ European viewpoint--in these hous-
IS. The Argentinian must have his
ratio or garden which is located in
he center of the house, bounded on
,wo sides by the front door and the
yitchen. 1t would be task Of many |
,ears to educate the people out of
he patio idea, if it is ever undertaken. |
Buenos Aires is literally sprinkled
With magnificent residences Of pala-
ial type and great dimensions. Some
# these homes occupy more ground
pace than some Of the larger hotels |
n New York City, and at least half |
# them are larger than the private
ZONES of American millionaires on
fifth Avenue and elsewhere. 1t is a |
COMMON practice for member of a
wealthy ranch owning family to build
me of these houses and furnish it,
hen never live in it. Many of these
ZONES stand monuments to the wealth
nd prosperity of the country, typical
f the pride of their owners and rep
esenting misspplication of scarce
nd still expensive building material
nd of labor, which, il employed in
less pretentious and more utilita-
ian cause would aid greatly in pro,
iding sheltcring roofs for people in
1ore moderate circumstances.
Real estate values in Buenos Aires
re inflated. Several years ago
reat property boom boosted the
rice of real estate. Then the bottom
( prices fell out, but the greater part
I the property owners, who acquired
heir holdings during the boom still
etain the boom-day's valuation and
ecline to accept loss.
In the poorer districts there are
locks and blocks Of dwellings, many
f which are nothing more than mis-
rable novels. In these districts, al
nough Buenos Aires is generally +
ated as clean city, the sanitation
as been miserable. Under the Irig
yen administration much is being
one to improve these conditions, but
hey still exist pretty generally.
The modern Office building in Bue-
os Aires can still be counted on the