Villa Crespo (Palermo Queens)
Introduction Villa Crespo (Palermo Queens)
Villa Crespo is located in the north-central part of Buenos Aires City between Palermo and Caballito. It lies between Av. Cordoba and Av. San Martin and straddles Av. Corrientes and borders on Parque del Centenario.
An up-and-coming barrio that we targeted for investment clients during 2007/8, Villa Crespo, informally known in Realtor-speak as “Palermo Queens”, due in part to its industrial heritage, but more to fool local and foreign buyers into paying Palermo prices, so be careful!
Palermo Queens is Realtor speak and not everyone’s pleased!
Villa Crespo History
Named after Buenos Aires Mayor, Antonio F. Crespo, Villa Crespo originally grew around the National Shoe Factory (Fabriza Nacional de Calzado), which opened in 1888.
Villa Crespo has long been associated with the Jewish community and houses many synagogues, Hebrew schools and youth movements.
Like much of Buenos Aires’ habitat, a variety of different peoples and cultures settled Palermo Queens creating a very diverse neighborhood.
On April 11, 1894 the San Bernardo church and parochial school first opened, known for its clock tower and statue of Cristo de la Mano Rota (Christ of the Broken Hand).
Until the 1980’s Villa Crespo was home to a large commercial clothing center on Av. Scalabrini Ortiz, formally named Canning, but it lost its importance over the years.
Villa Crespo also held several conventillos (boarding houses) at one time, including the most famous, the Conventillo de la Paloma.
Villa Crespo Today
Today, Villa Crespo is a middle class residential neighborhood. Whilst this barrio maintains its identity with many local young families and young couples, being located so close to the hip neighborhoods of Hollywood and Soho has meant the spread of new restaurants and chic boutiques and this barrio is fast developing with both expatriates and young Argentine professionals buying right next door to the ever-popular and expensive Palermo district.
Along with this new wave of residents, a vibrant new social scene is expanding, as did Palermo Soho and Hollywood. The hippest bars, dance-halls and restaurants have no signs outside instead those in the know pass their addresses by way of word of mouth. Discovering one of these hidden wonders is part of what makes Villa Crespo so unique today. It is almost like stepping into a secret society.
Until recently, we often attended a closed-door boite for both tacos on the terrace and drinking liberally.
Change is already coming to Villa Crespo and its boundary with Palermo will continue to blur, but for now, Villa Crespo remains a barrio with a distinct personality.
Local Attractions
Villa Crespo known for being a great place to find a bargain, especially leather goods, one of its main attractions is a strip of leather goods stores located on Calle Murillo. One of the biggest and best of those is Murillo 666 (yes, located at Murillo 666) and offers everything from jackets and accessories to leather furniture.
Beginning in 2008 many of the local factories in the neighborhood started opening up outlet stores to the public. Around Calles Aguirre and Gurruchaga one can find a string of outlet stores such as Armani Exchange, Cacharel, Lacoste, Puma, Timberland, Wrangler and more. One can also find many more outlets lined up along Av. Cordoba only 5 blocks away.
Restaurants and Nightlife
Villa Crespo has a select number of options for restaurants and nightlife that you can enjoy. Here are a few to get you started:
Sarkis (Thames 1101) a family style restaurant offering satisfying Middle Easter food.
Ocho7Ocho (Thames 878) beginning at 8pm every night a door attendant appears here outside an unmarked door. Those in the know can step inside to find themselves in a stylish but deliberately rough around the edges lounge created in a former carpentry workshop.
Scannapieco (Av. Cordoba 4826) founded in 1938 by an Italian immigrant, Scannapieco is simply one of the very best ice creams found in Buenos Aires and is still family owned.
Club Silencio (call +5411 4775-7330 or email sheduende@hotmail.com to make a reservation and get the addss) inspired by David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, Club Silencio was created by Argentinian musician Shoni Shed. At 11pm every Friday he performs in his apartment for an audience of 20, all of whom are blindfolded upon arrival to stimulate their other senses. The show lasts about an hour and a half and afterwards a bar menu appears and the place turns into a house party.
Villa Crespo Misc. Fact(s)
The 3rd of June is the day of Villa Crespo.
Villa Crespo Pros and Cons
Villa Crespo offers lower rents and being located next to Palermo there are plenty of hip places to eat and drink.
There really is no downside to Villa Crespo although more foreigners in the future will mean higher prices.
We purchased real estate in Villa Crespo for foreign investors 2007/8 (during the downturn) and some very nice apartments should start to appear on our websites from October 2010.
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