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From Plaza San Martin, Avenida 53 heads north past the Casa de Gobierno. After four blocks you come to Plaza Rivadavia, separated by Avenida 1 from the Paseo del Bosque , La Plata's major green space. Before entering the park, take a small detour along Boulevard 53, a short diagonal road branching off to the right of the plaza. Halfway along the street, on your right, stands Casa Curutchet . One of La Plata's least celebrated buildings but arguably one of its most significant, the Casa Curutchet is the only residence designed by Le Corbusier to have been built in Latin America. Commissioned by a local surgeon Pedro Curutchet in 1949, the house is a typical Le Corbusier construction, combining functionality with a playful use of colour and perspective. The building now houses the Colegio de Arquitectos of Buenos Aires Province and is open to visitors (Mon, Tues & Fri 8am-1pm; closed Jan; tel 0221/218032). The park itself covers just over half a square kilometre. It's an attractive open space, dissected by various roads and with a pretty artificial lake where you can rent boats. Aside from the famous Museo de Ciencias Naturales, the park's attractions include the city's old-fashioned zoo (Tues-Sun 9am-7pm; $2), complete with original enclosures dating from its foundation in 1907. The enclosures, though, are a little small for the larger exotic species such as the rhinoceros, but seem more appropriate for smaller native fauna such as the endangered grey fox. There's also a botanical garden within the zoo, with examples of most of Argentina's most typical trees, such as the ombu, the araucaria and the ceibo. There is also an a stronomical observatory (Mon-Fri 8-10pm; guided visits Fri evenings), the Teatro Martin Fierro , an open-air theatre located just to the west of the lake, and, behind the train station, the city's racecourse.
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