Recoleta Cemetery vault to host gift shop and take-away cafe

The Government of the City of Buenos Aires has launched a tender to convert a disused 24.54-square-meter vault in the Recoleta Cemetery into a commercial space. The project aims to install a gift shop and a food and beverage outlet offering take-away services, such as coffee and tea. The concession will last five years, with a monthly fee set at 1.6 million pesos.

In addition to the retail space, the initiative includes the implementation of nocturnal guided tours. These tours are intended to be cultural, educational, and recreational, focusing on the cemetery's history, architecture, and funerary heritage. They are proposed to run from Thursday to Sunday between 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.

The proposal has met with opposition from the Association of Friends of the Recoleta Cemetery (ADACRE). While the group expressed support for using the abandoned space as a cultural information center, they stated that gastronomic activities are inappropriate for the site, even under a take-away model.