La Isla (The Island), one of the best kept secrets in Buenos Aires
La Isla (The Island), enclosed between Gelli y Obes, Copérnico, and Galileo streets in Recoleta, is dominated by sophisticated and high class buildings and embassies. Due to its particular layout, with stairs and slopes, this spot is almost free of traffic and noise. All these features make this one of the most exclusive and upscale areas in Buenos Aires.
The area, up and behind the slope where the monument to Bartolome Mitre is located, occupies only 5 square blocks, and is little known even by locals, even though it is located in one of the most visited neighborhoods in the city, surrounded by the National Library, Plaza Francia, Plaza Mitre, Buenos Aires Design Center, and Las Heras Avenue.
This peaceful retreat was once a country estate owned by the Hale Pearson family, with an English style park. Around 1910 the estate was sold and divided into different plots of land, and the final design was performed by architect Bouvard, director of Parks in Paris. From the original estate is the present British Residence building, a landmark of La Isla:
According to the British Embassy website: "It is among the finest ambassadorial residences the UK has anywhere. The house was originally built for Carlos Maria Madero and his family between 1914 and 1917. They used the British Architects Bassett, Smith and Colcatt who designed a classic English style urban residence with an interior inspired by the English Eighteenth Century Adam style. The Maderos resided in the house until 1945. It was sold to the then British Labour Government as the British Residence in 1947 and later linked to the neighboring property (owned by the English family Hale) to provide a sizable garden. It was designated a National Historic Monument in 2001".
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