Covering an entire city block, this beautiful French-style building has fulfilled the commercial purpose that its designers envisioned when they constructed it in 1889. Galerías Pacífico is now a shopping center – dotted with lovely fairy lights at night – and boasts upscale stores along with a large food court. The excellent Centro Cultural Borges takes up the top floor. Tours are held in English and Spanish; go to the information kiosk near the food court.
When you step inside, check out the ceiling. In 1945 the completion of a central cupola made space for a dozen paintings by muralists Antonio Berni, Juan Carlos Castagnino, Manuel Colmeiro, Lino Spilimbergo and Demetrio Urruchúa. All were adherents of the nuevo realismo (new realism) school, heirs of an earlier social-activist tendency in Argentine art. For many years the building went semi-abandoned, but a joint Argentine-Mexican team repaired and restored the murals in 1992.
