BUENOS AIRES,February 29,2024 – For $8 million,you could own a piece of buenos Aires history – and a building that looks straight out of a Pixar film. A unique property, featuring a charming chalet perched atop a nine-story office building, has just gone on the market, offering a rare blend of architectural whimsy and investment potential.
A ‘Little House in the Sky’ Returns to the Market
the iconic Chalet Díaz, built in 1927, is being offered for sale along wiht the entire building for US$8 million.
- The property, known locally as the “little chalet of the 9th of July,” was constructed in 1927, predating the iconic Obelisk.
- The sale includes a nine-story office building with over 10,300 m of built space, plus the two-story chalet.
- The chalet was originally built as a private retreat for the founder of a prominent furniture store, Rafael Díaz.
Dubbed the “little chalet of the 9th of July,” the two-story structure evokes images of the floating house from the animated movie Up.Built in 1927 on the terrace of a building in the San Nicolás neighborhood,the chalet predates the construction of the Obelisk,now a defining landmark of Buenos Aires.
The entire property – building and chalet – is being offered for sale at a price of US$8 million. The offering encompasses more than 10,300 m of built space, with approximately 7,500 m designated as profitable space, including nine floors of offices, a basement, ground floor premises, and garages. Three elevators serve the building, culminating in the unique chalet that crowns the complex.
Rafael Díaz, founder of the historic furniture store Muebles Díaz – once the largest in South America – commissioned the chalet as his personal sanctuary. “Rafael Díaz lived in banfield and that is why it motivated him to build the chalet above the building, because he wanted a place to take a nap,” explained Sergio Esteban Romaniuk, of Coldwell Banker SER, the real estate agency handling the sale. Díaz desired a convenient retreat for lunch and rest, avoiding a lengthy commute home.
The resulting structure is a charming, Norman-style house with tiled roofing, offering a unique vantage point over the city. Díaz drew inspiration from his fondness for Mar del Plata, incorporating the aesthetics of properties there into his “little house in the sky.”
The area is “slowly being converted into residential, but at a steady pace,” Romaniuk observed, citing examples such as the planned redevelopment of the Mercado del Plata into housing and the conversion of other buildings, like the former Tornquist bank.
The property attracts both local and international interest. Gabriela Papaianni, a real estate advisor, highlighted the importance of international marketing: “being a global company in more than 40 countries, we take advantage of that ecosystem.”
the Díaz family has decided it’s time to sell this iconic building, and so, the most famous chalet on 9 de Julio is now looking for a new owner.
