  Pablo Etchevers
A real treasure is hidden in one of the most picturesque buildings in the City of Buenos Aires. A new activity is added to the endless list of legendary Carlitos. |
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At the always fashionable City of Buenos Aires, the Anglers’ Club rises impressively at the end of a hundred-meter-long pier that gets deep into the river. The building is considered as National Historical Monument. It was built in 1903 and then completely refurbished in the early 1930s emulating the façade of an ancient Belgian castle.
Getting past the building, a second pier is discovered. This one is 512 meters long. It was built not only for fishing but also as an annex to the halls in the building, with social purposes, as the breeze and the sunshine may be enjoyed in this space, away from the city noise and atmosphere.
Mr. José Razzano, Carlos Gardel’s guitar player, used to be one of the most regular members of the club. He was a fan of fishing and of the social meetings held at the club. It was not hard for him to convince the tango man from becoming a member himself. |
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Gardel joined the Anglers’ Club in two opportunities. He became a member for the first time in January 1930. As he became a debtor, he was expelled from the club. He had stopped making payments due to his trips around Europe. Afterwards, Gardel was admitted again and all the monthly payments until 1935 have been recorded as paid. On that date, the records read: "end of membership due to decease".
Many anecdotes have been told about him. It is said that he was seen walking about with some lady along the pier during sunny summer afternoons. It was also said that he used to be found in a thoughtful attitude among the collections of rods or that he was a passionate card player. |
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It is a fact that he paid the first membership invoice in cash –a very rare fact in those days, as the club used to be very exclusive and rates, extremely high- and that when the cooperation for refurbishing works was encouraged, he also contributed with a significant amount.
Nevertheless, this hidden side of Carlos Gardel conceals a great mystery: in all those years he spent visiting the club and sharing his afternoons with other members, no one ever remembers to have seen him holding a rod. |
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