Nueva Pompeya - Economy

Economy

Over the course of the twentieth century the district developed its present urban aspect. In 1938, a bridge adorned with arcs and columns of rubblework in Hindu-revival style was opened on the Matanza river. A district landmark, it was first called Valentín Alsina Bridge and renamed for President José Félix Uriburu following his death in 1932 (though it's still rarely referred to as anything but "Alsina Bridge"). The district's residential areas are mostly one-story rowhouses.

Nuena Pompeya is served by a number of community services. In 1940, the Working Catholic Circle opened on a 2-acre (8,100 m2) lot on 1342 Sáenz Avenue and in 1965 the city opened a Natatorium (indoor pool) of 27 meters in length. The Social and Cultural Complex of Nueva Pompeya, founded by Carlos Valdisseri, one of the founders of the working catholic circle, was until recently directed by son, Father Jorge Valdisseri, who died at the age of 91.

The district is also home to one of the city's largest slums (villas miserias, in the Argentine vernacular). Swollen by migration from Argentina's impoverished rural areas in the north and from Argentina's northern neighbor, Bolivia, its inhabitants are mostly manual laborers, particularly seamstresses.

The district is crossed by numerous divided along the middle by Sáenz Avenue, which unites Nueva Pompeya with Valentin Alsina, in the Province of Buenos Aires. In both, metallurgical and meat-packing plants dominated the labor market until they began to close after 1980, often as a result of economic policies that adversely affected production, rather than as a result of shifting markets. Nevertheless, many factories remain and others still function as warehouses and factory outlets.

Next to Doctor Antonio Sáenz railway station, on the corner of Sáenz and Moreno Avenues, the Buenos Aires Bird Fair operates every Sunday. The fair is renowned for its variety of songbirds, particularly canoras.

The Chinese Bar, on Beazley Street, is a representative institution of the district. It was installed by tango vocalist Jorge “Chino” Garcés and is frequented tango fans in search of an authentic atmosphere. Among the bar's regulars is the Spanish actor José Sacristán, who divides his time between Buenos Aires and Spain.

The tango heritage of the district is owed to a great extent to lyricist Homero Manzi. In the corner of Tabaré and Del Barco Centenera Streets, mentioned in the tango Mano Blanca (“White Hand”), a painting mural containing the lyrics of the tango memorializes Manzi; but, mainly, it emphasizes that Nueva Pompeya is a place of legend in tango.

Neighborhood artists designed an emblem for Nueva Pompeya. It shows the church, Alsina bridge, bandoneón and the figure of an intellectual who tightens with his hand, in greeting signal, the arm of a worker.

The district has an extraordinary tradition of social assistance societies, like the Nueva Pompeya Social and Cultural Complex, formed by employees, retailers and workers to encourage improvements to the area habitat. Since 2000, they have helped address the needs of Nueva Pompeya's many needy with community dining halls, among them Juanita's Little House on 1340 Sáenz Avenue. Neighborhood activist Juana Isabel Fernandez, a worker made unemployed during the economic crisis at that time, opened the center and continues to run it with the help of the Nueva Pompeya Social and Cultural Complex and other locals.