‘English clock-tower’ of Buenos Aires reopens to the public

An emblematic postcard picture of the City of Buenos Aires, there can be no doubt that the iconic Torre Monumental has been a privileged witness of the capital’s urban development in the area around Plaza San Martín.

For years, the famous clock tower formerly known as the Torre de los Ingleses (or Torre del Reloj), has been a gateway to Buenos Aires, with its prime location overlooking the Retiro railway station, the Port and the former Hotel de los Inmigrantes (which today houses the Museo de la Inmigración).

After a series of remodelling and repair works – such as repairing the clock and lift and changing the entire electrical system, among other improvements – City Hall has ordered the doors of the classical tower, built in the Renaissance style, be reopened to the public. 

Once again, the citizenry can again enjoy the panoramic views from the tower’s sixth floor, taking in the Plaza San Martín, the Kavanagh building, the Sheraton Hotel, the Reserva Ecológica, the River Plate, the New Port, the Retiro railway station and many more sites from its four cardinal points.

Unique history

The seven-storey tower was donated by British residents in 1910 to celebrate the centenary of the first patriotic government and is located at the centre of the Plaza Fuerza Aérea Argentina. 

Designed by the architect Ambrose Macdonald Poynter, it was inaugurated on May 24, 1916. Its combination of red brick and carved stone rises to a height of 60 metres from the structure’s base with four staircases on each side and landfill at its corners.

The monument is topped by a clock on its seventh floor, hence the name Torre del Reloj. Manufactured by the watchmakers Gillett & Johnston of Croydon, Surrey, in the United Kingdom in 1914, the clock has four opaline quadrants 4.4 metres in diameter with a pendulum over four metres in length and weighing 100 kilos. 

It is a small-scale replica of the famous Westminster clock-tower known as Big Ben.

"This belvedere viewpoint is unique, centrally located in Retiro with marvellous views. We invite everybody to visit it,” assured City Mayor Jorge Macri as he toured the spot after its reopening.

“This City has an incredible offer of recreational activities and its cultural identity fills us with pride, defining us. That is why we were committed to recovering the Torre Monumental, these works were fundamental for being able to reopen it," he added.

An entrance ticket costs 750 pesos for Argentine citizens and residents and 4,500 pesos for foreign tourists. 

Entrance will be free for pensioners and university students, the handicapped, children aged under 12 and groups of students from state schools. Access will also be free on Wednesdays. 

Reservations to visit the Torre Monumental can be made at: https://entradasba.buenosaires.gob.ar.