, main campus. In the 18th century, what is now the western part of Almagro belonged to
Portuguese merchant Carlos de los Santos Valente and then to his estate. The eastern and northern sections were in the possession of
Spaniard Juan María de Almagro y de la Torre, a barrister. The
Argentine revolutionary government confiscated Almagro's lands, only to return them to him in 1820. Both Santos Valente and Almagro managed agricultural establishments, and did not favor any kind of
urban development. During the 19th century, most of the neighbourhood was occupied by
dairy farms and brick factories. Almagro and
Caballito were located on the road between Buenos Aires and the city of Flores. In 1880, Almagro was officially incorporated into the Federal district. The neighbourhood came into its own around 1900, following the erection of the San Carlos parish church in 1878, the introduction of the
tramway, and the massive immigration (Almagro was settled mostly by
Basques and
Italians). Rapid urbanization brought about the
conventillos (immigrant hotels). The assimilation of immigrants into the local culture was quick, and Almagro became the birthplace of many famous
tangos. Due to its proximity to the
Abasto market, singer
Carlos Gardel was a frequent visitor, and in 1930 he recorded a tango named
Almagro. Many Almagro institutions became relevant in the Buenos Aires landscape: • The
Colégio Pio IX (or Pio IX Secondary School), whose alumni includes famous Tango singer
Carlos Gardel, Blessed
Ceferino Namuncurá, Argentine President
Arturo Illia and distinguished engineers like
Curiosity Rover, and other Mars NASA missions, Chief Engineer for the Guidance, Navigation, and Control system
Miguel San Martín. • The
Las Violetas coffee house, opened in 1884, was a renowned meeting-place. Closed down in 1998 and reopened in 2001, it preserves the glamour of its golden days. • The Argentine Boxing Federation hall on Castro Barros street was the venue of many important matches. • The Mariano Moreno and Mariano Acosta schools were noted for their high educational standards In the 1950s, the Buenos Aires campus of the
Universidad Tecnológica Nacional (National Technological University) was built on Lavalle and Medrano streets. To accommodate the growing number of students, the faculty of
Humanities ("Filosofía y Letras") of
Buenos Aires University was relocated to Puán street during the 1980s.
Hospital Italiano on Gascón street is one of the main private hospitals in the city. The city's Dentistry Hospital is located on Muñiz street. There is also a Library for blind people on the intersection of Lezica and Medrano. Although many music and dance venues cater to all tastes, Almagro is a stronghold of tango. During his last years, composer and bandleader
Osvaldo Pugliese relocated to Almagro and oversaw the creation of the
Casa del Tango (Tango House) complex on
Guardia Vieja street. Among Almagro's residents of note were boxer
Luis Ángel Firpo, poet
Alfonsina Storni, and physician and politician
Juan B. Justo. ==Education==