At the Carlos Gardel House Museum

The door at 735, Jean Jaures Street is not just another door. For fans, it is the doorstep into the house of the Buenos Aires’ Thrush himself. For those who do not know much or wish to learn a little bit more about tango, this is the ideal entrance to this live historical world which has left its track in the City of Buenos Aires.


Singing Better and Better

There is nothing to it: once we crossed the hallway of this traditional house, the first sound we could hear was Gardel’s own voice, which escorted us around the venue.

Brandishing the well-designed leaflets, we stepped on the very same floors used by Charles Romuald Gardés (his real name according to his own handwritten will), his mother Berta and his beloved friends.

The house we were visiting has a long history. It was bought by Gardel for his mother in 1927 and he shared the dwelling with her until 1933, when after his last stay in Buenos Aires he set out to New York, where he had been summoned to perform at NBC (National Broadcasting Company).

His successful shows extended his stay and led him to shoot a series of his most popular movies, such as El día que me quieras and Mi Buenos Aires querido. Likewise, he went on tour around various Latin American countries which came to an end with his death at the tragic accident in Medellín, on June 24, 1935.


The House’s Fate

Doña Berta Gardés continued to occupy the house in the company of her friend Anais Beaux and her husband. When she died in 1943, the house passed onto the hands of Gardel’s last manager. Associated forever to the memory of the Buenos Aires Thrush, in the 1970s, it housed the famous tango venue called La Casa de Carlos Gardel (which stands for “Carlos Gardel’s House” in Spanish).

Finally, on March 4, 2003, the government of the City of Buenos Aires inaugurated this completely restored museum devoted to the preservation and circulation of the memory of who undoubtedly is the best-known and most beloved Argentinian popular musician.

The house purchased by Gardel featured the typical distribution of the time which today has become traditional: in the center, a large yard where all the rooms converge. In turn, the rooms share doors and are thus communicated to one another.

At the museum, we found various objects related to the life and work of Carlos Gardel: everything from records, photographs and musical instruments to pieces of furniture and modern art works that pay tribute to the great idol.

The bathroom, the kitchen and the ironing room at the back of the house are particularly interesting. They have been preserved in their original state and typical objects from everyday life in the 1920’s are displayed there.

Finally, the museum has a temporary exhibitions room where shows related to Gardel’s artistic career and the fate of the music he represented are presented.

We left the museum with the joy of having visited our friend Gardel.