The urban landscape in Mar del Plata is beautifully decorated with magnificent mansions surrounded with parks and gardens. Some of them have been kept as private houses while others have been adapted for a variety of uses, among others, for commercial use. Even so, the inspiration that led the creators to their designs has not disappeared; what is more, it has been preserved in a splendid and unaltered way.

Inspired in European buildings that amazed the 80´s Generation on their trips to the Old World, these mansions were constructed by immigrants who were builders by trade following the plans brought. These large houses still lie on the city hills and many of them have been officially declared of patrimonial interest.

Some of them have been turned into Museums such as Villa Mitre, Villa Ortiz Basualdo or Villa Victoria, others have become stores like Almacén Buenos Aires or Tienda Blanco y Negro, or gastronomy establishments like Luis Ezcurra Chalet or Complejo Normandina.

Taking a stroll around the neighborhoods of Mar del Plata is a real visual pleasure. Worthy of special attention are the details of the Mar del Plata stone (quartzite) on the walls, the steep slope roofs, the round-arched and basket-handle arched windows, the asymmetric building façades – all these inspirations coming from medieval details, the English architecture and French chateaux (castles).

A walk along the coast and especially around Stella Maris and Santa Cecilia hills will carry you away to a past time stamped on the mansions that keep it alive.