The salon of "El Progreso" in the neighborhood of Barracas. In Montes de Oca corner California we find a noble building of ground floor and a high floor, built in 1911, by the prestigious architects Emilio Hugue and Vicente Colmegna, authors also of the Barracas branch of Banco de la Nacion, in Montes de Oca 1699 and Casa Moussion in Callao y Sarmiento, among many other works. On the ground floor of the building in question, by Montes de Oca 1700, you can access the café El Progreso, one of the traditional ones of the neighborhood of Barracas. in California, despite its 38 years of inactivity, the tram tracks still shine; for her they ran the 74 that from the Central Mail went to Gerli, and the 10th that had departed in Plaza Italia was looking for his destination in Sarandi. A retractable metal awning protects from excess light. Their space is generous, the tables are arranged comfortably. The boiserie, and the wooden screen that gives intimacy to the family room, with its three small pillars, crowned with plants, which rhythmically separate its four marteline glasses, with frosted art-deco ornaments, are two of the most outstanding characteristics of coffee. Two columns in the middle of the living room and the pipes of the ceiling fans, are the vertical elements in the geometric composition. The bar; Wooden counter, which includes a fridge that shows the variety of cold cuts of the house, has its swan-shaped faucet. On the wall, behind the counter, bottles of Three Feathers, Terry, Boussacq, Rhum Negrita, Hesperidine, anise 8 Brothers, Whisky Breeders and Gin Bols line up in front of the mirror, on glass or wooden shelves. Above, a decorative guard, with diamond-shaped mirrors, completes the sector. A sign invites you to order mixed toasting. A worker who finishes his day, and who is impeccably combed, devours the crescents that accompany the submarine. The high wooden windows, of the guillotine type, have two barrales at different heights, so that the curtains move better. With the elegance that characterizes them, a cat walks between the legs of the tables, while the sun of six and a half in the afternoon splashes into the living room, and the noise of the cups is heard when it is accommodated on the coffee machine. Ms. María Licinia Tomás de Moreno, her owner, arrived forty years ago, when she was 26, with her husband Aureliano Moreno, and her young son. They came from Spain, from Asturias, from Villaviciosa exactly, between the Cantabrian Sea and the Cordillera de Sueve. Aureliano and Maria took over the bar "El Progreso", which already operated under that name since many years before. They worked intensively, without francs or holidays, only closing on 1 May and 17 August. Aurelian passed away a few years ago. Advertisements, scenes from some films were filmed here, and from time to time film students perform some shots. The drawing of a dancer protrudes on the wall of the family room. An article, published in The Nation, by Omar Goncebat, which Mary recommends reading, says: "The therapy of slowness. A century-end trend, regaining simplicity and eliminating haste, working, gaining and consuming less, can have a positive impact and improve the quality of existence." A whole philosophy of life. Barracas, the neighborhood of Dionisia Miranda, the blonde pulp of Santa Lucia, in addition to El Progreso, had many cafes, such as the famous T.V.O. de Montes de Oca, frequented by musicians and neighbors Eduardo Arolas and Agustín Bardi; el café El León, from Montes de Oca and Australia, where the bandoneon played a musician known for "El Quija", of which Enrique Cadicamo says in a poem: "In the twelve year, he played in El León./ A famous café that was in Montes de Oca / almost corner Australia. And his bandoneon/ many disbelievers covered his mouth"; La Luna, in Montes de Oca and Uspallata: La Banderita, in Suarez and Montes de Oca; La Flor de Barracas, in Arcamendia and Suarez; The Sultan, of Iriarte and Montes de Oca, and La Armonía de Iriarte and Herrera, are just a few of them, Barracas! This is how this area of the city has been known since the seventeenth century, when precarious constructions, barracks, to store hides and other products began to be installed in the place, and they were leaving the city through the Riachuelo. Thus, unlike other neighborhoods, the name Barracas arises from an appropriation between symbolic and practical of the place itself. We hear Gregorio Traub, neighbor and faithful barracks, the café El Progreso, is the natural place to continue talking about the stories and legends of this romantic and beautiful neighborhood. *Text extracted from the book "Cafes de Buenos Aires" .
Tavsiye
