The history of the last house on the beach in Claromecó

Claromecóthat coastal jewel located 562 kilometers from the Federal Capital that, according to many say, offers the best sunsets of all Province of Buenos Aires, treasures among its dunes a story of family love, resistance, mystery and memory.

On the beach, where the wind and the sea impose its rough authority, it is found The last house that challenged time -The two times, in reality, the chronological and the meteorological. The others approximately 60 that accompanied her in the area, which had been built in wood, were intentionally burned.

Its lonely facade, worn out by salt and water, and its foundations buried in the sand, tell a story that empowers it: that of survive against all forecast.

Raised between 1935 and 1940, it was the only one in the area built with bricks, and accompanied the large number of wood constructions that for those began to populate the beach of Claromecó and suffered, at different times, intentional fires.

This property, “the survivor”, belongs today to the Florez family, but was built by department stores the ABC, a general bouquet business that for the end of the year parties a house in the sea raffled among its clientele and another in Tres Arroyos -the head of the party to which Claromecó belongs.

But it turned out that the lucky winner was building his own home, and then decided to sell it, and there appears the family that is still the owner: Vitalino Florez He acquired what is currently the perhaps more privileged house of this part of the coast, which continues to open the windows on the beach, a few meters from the mar.

High on piles that protect it from high tides, this house is much more than a simple construction; is The refuge and the history of the Florez family. But also of the laughter of young people who, at dawn, take refuge under it and dream of new possibilities, while contemplating the first sun rays on the water.

With plates punished by salt and the passage of time, it remains firm, guarding memories and offering shelter to anyone who crosses their door. Rolando “Toto” Florez, current owner, is the one who lives most of the year, and experiences it as a space that brings together the past and present.

“Living my childhood in this place was incredible; We got up and threw ourselves from the window of the room directly to the Médano. It was a unique family meeting space; While my grandmother knead the ravioli, we played at sea“, remember.

But the place is not only magical for the Florez brothers, because their children also inherited love for this unique space. “The whole truthful family in this little houseand we agree to preserve it as a meeting place, as it was always, ”he says proudly.

With a nostalgia for the good times, the blue eyes of Rolando, which seem to reflect the color of the sea they look, tell stories from other times.

“My grandfather had seven brothers; Therefore, we did very well the accounts distributing weeks and fortnights so that everyone could come. In spare parts, The family that arrived lunch with which he left. At that time my grandfather came, he was going to fish here in front of networks, and We ate the fish at the time”, Comment to the beat of the waves, which break very close.

The interior of the house is something like a living museum. A rectangular picture with three photos of different eras reflects the changes and permanence; Surf boards suspended in a corner, a wooden table where grandmother cooked for the whole family and the marine aroma seem to condense here something of the essence of Claromecó: Freedom, adventure, home.

From that balcony on the sand, Life seems friendliersimpler, more alive. Visiting the house is more than a visual experience; is A trip to the history of Claromecó and its eternal connection with the sea.

This house not only faced the strength of the Médanos in constant movement, but also the human footprints in the form of anonymous attacks. Intentional fire tried to consume it more than onceand although he did not get it, each flame that wrapped it left scars that speak of its resistance and its strength to remain firm in front of the sea. The neighboring constructions did not run the same fate, and they disappeared little by little in each of those fires.

“The fire attacked us in the hands of anonymous during different times, Always in the middle of winterwhen the houses were unemployed. The last attack was witnessed by the entire town; The flames consumed the houses of Perlita and Alberto Dassis, which were the last two left after the previous fires. Ours, being the only one built with solid materials, managed to resist, ”says Rolando.

Marina Villanueva, known as Perla, who also had her home in the sand and was a direct neighbor of the Florez family, recalls the moments lived there. “Under the house we put hammocks and swings, and we used to do Delicious paellas that we ate on the banks of the sea. My family bought our house in Claromecó in 1950. It was high on piles, with entrance and exit because the sea climbed and passed under, ”he evokes

And he adds that, according to his knowledge, the houses They were of Dutch origin And there were about 56 in total. “In my case, I signed an agreement with the province that established that I would withdraw the house if they requested it. With that idea in mind, I bought a land on the waterfront, between streets 26 and 28, which I still keep. However, I don’t have the house anymore because It was destroyed in an intentional firewhose authorship never clarified. ”

Thus, little by little and by destructive anonymous hands, the houses began to disappear, looted and burned down. Many people thought that these constructions “shaved the beach.”

“On a Friday night my house set fire, but the Firefighters managed to turn it off. However, the next Monday the fire began from the other end, and five houses were burned. Mine was initially saved thanks to a medano, but a short time later, by 1989 or 1990, They set it fire with fuel, and nothing left: Neither the refrigerator, nor the stainless steel table, nor the wood stove. Everything was lost in the midst of an accomplice silence, ”Pela recalls.

And he rescues that, despite everything, he continues to come to Claromecó. “I made a house as close as possible to the sea, but far from the bustle. Our original house had 19 beds and I was always full of peopleas is the case now when we spend the family. It is part of our essence, we see how a heart, ”he says, with a mixture of sadness, nostalgia and affection.

Witness of innumerable stories, the Housing of the Florez became A symbol for the inhabitants and visitors of Claromecóin a witness of other times, of those in which the coast had other constructions, which today only survive in the memory of those who inhabited them. Its walls have witnessed anecdotes as varied as the secrets that the sea that surrounds it keeps.

The last house that resisted on the sand is not just a building; it’s a monument to the fight against adversitya postcard that invites you to reflect on family life, the passage of time, the relationship with nature and the importance of preserving the heritage, material and immaterial, of the coast.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Claromecó became U Un Popular destination for touristsespecially Tresarroyenses and Chacareros. At that time, wooden summer houses on pillars began to be built, designed to resist sea floods and coastal soil instability.

However, from the 70s to the last burning in the 90s, Around 57 of these homes disappeared. The reasons were varied: abandonment by the owners, legal conflicts between the owner of the land, Mr. Bellocq (owner of the land where the town is located) and the provincial government, or the pressure of the urbanization.

Some claimed that these constructions “gave a bad image”; others, who “obstruct the view of the sea.” Also The storms and constant movements of the Médanos contributed to their deterioration and disappearance.

In 1978 there were only a few houses left, many in a state of abandonment. Although the Municipality of Tres Arroyos proposed a plan to recover them and give them a cultural and tourist use, the project did not materialize. Finally, between the 70s and 80s, the last buildings were consumed by incendures in circumstances never enlightened.

Today, these houses are part of Claromecó’s memory. Some images of them are preserved in the Aníbal Paz Museumas witnesses of an era that no longer exists.

This destination of sun, sea and familiarity on the beaches of the Atlantic coast continues to summon thousands of tourists who year after year choose without hesitation, Like that old love of adolescence.