Club Hotel de la Ventana was a large, luxurious hotel resort opened in 1911 near Villa Ventana, 17 km from the small town of Sierra de La Ventana, in the southeast of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sierra de La Ventana is a picturesque small town in the southeast of the Province of Buenos Aires situated in Tornquist Partido. ... The Buenos Aires province (IPA: , Spanish: Provincia de Buenos Aires) is the wealthiest and most populated province of Argentina. ...

The resort was designed by the Italian architect Antonio Gherardi, who also designed the customs house in the nearby city of Bahia Blanca. Construction began in 1904 with bricks especially produced nearby by Ernesto Tornquist, a local resident. The Hotel had a luxurious interior and rivalled the best hotels in the world at that time. It could accommodate 350 guests and had 173 rooms and four large suites. Features included a solarium, a restaurant decorated in Louis XVI style, a winter garden, a ballroom with 150 seats were films could be shown, three casino halls, a night club, two beauty salons, a tower with a panoramic view over the surrounding mountains, a concert hall, a well-stocked library, an 18-hole golf course, a football pitch and three tennis courts. There was also a riding stable, a swimming pool, a hospital, a pharmacy, a hair dresser, and a large gymnasium. The resort was set in a park of 126 ha. designed by the French landscape architect Carlos Thays who included a wide variety of European trees. Bah a Blanca is a city in eastern Argentina in Buenos Aires Province and a seaport at the head of the Bah Blanca (White Bay - an arm of the Atlantic Ocean). ... Winter Garden may refer to: Winter Garden A winter garden, winter-hardy plants grown to decorate in the winter or be harvested between winter and early spring Winter Garden, Florida Winter Garden Theatre A large public atrium in the World Financial Center in New York City Winter Garden, a book... Carlos Thays (August 20, 1849 – January 31, 1934) was a French-Argentine landscape architect. ...

The inauguration on 11 November 1911, which included a mass and a banquet, was attended by 1200 distinguished guests including the British Ambassador and the President of Argentina, Julio Argentino Roca, who described the Hotel as "The marvel of the century". A narrow gauge railway line, built to connect the resort to the station in Sierra de la Ventana, was opened on 17 December 1913, and there was a daily connecting service to and from Estación Plaza Constitución in Buenos Aires. November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Current President Néstor Kirchner The President of Argentina (full title: President of the Argentine Nation, Spanish: Presidente de la Nación Argentina) is the head of state of Argentina. ... Alejo Julio Argentino Roca Paz (July 17, 1843 - October 19, 1914) was an army general who served as President of Argentina from 12 October 1880 to 12 October 1886 and again from 12 October 1898 to 12 October 1904. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Estación Constitución (Spanish for Constitution Station) is a large train station in central Buenos Aires, Argentina. ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ...

The resort began to suffer large losses from 1913 onwards due to the world economic depression and the outbreak of war in Europe. In spite of this, however, a large celebration was held here on 9 July 1916 to mark the centenary of the Argentine Declaration of Independence. Guests included the Infanta Isabel de Borbon, the Prince of Wales later to become King Edward VIII, the President of Brazil and many politicians and diplomats of the highest level. World map showing the location of Europe. ... July 9 is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 175 days remaining. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Independence of Argentina was declared on July 9, 1816 by the Congress of Tucumán. ... Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; later The Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972) was King of Great Britain, Ireland, the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Emperor of India from the death of his father, George V (1910–36), on 20...

On 3 November 1917 gambling was prohibited in Argentina by presidential decree. Three years later in 1920 the mostly English owners of the resort decided to close it, and the company they had set up to manage the resort went into liquidation. On 30 November 1924 the Provincial government took over the Hotel with a plan to use it as a holiday centre for students, teachers and their families, a plan that was never put into action. Later the Hotel was looted, with everything from fine wines in the wine cellar to the valuable furniture disappearing, November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... November 30 is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ...

At the start of the Second World War in 1939, the Battle of the River Plate, involving the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee and the British cruisers Exeter, Achilles and Ajax, ended with the captain of the Graf Spee, Hans Langsdorff, scuttling his ship in the harbour of Montevideo in Uruguay. On 22 December 1939 over 1,000 sailors from the Graf Spee were taken to Buenos Aires, and some of them were later interned by the government in the Hotel until 1946. For a brief period the hotel came to life again and some restoration work was carried out. Combatants Germany United Kingdom New Zealand Commanders Hans Langsdorff Henry Harwood Strength 1 heavy cruiser 1 heavy cruiser 2 light cruisers Casualties 1 heavy cruiser damaged 36 dead 60 wounded 1 heavy cruiser heavily damaged 2 light cruisers damaged 72 dead 28 wounded For other uses, see The Battle of... Admiral Graf Spee was a Deutschland class heavy cruiser which served with the Kriegsmarine of Germany during World War II. Originally classified as an armored ship (Panzerschiff), she was later reclassified as a heavy cruiser, and was referred to as a pocket battleship by the British. ... The fourth and best known of the Exeters, HMS Exeter (68), was a York class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy that served in World War II. She was laid down on 1 August 1928 at the Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, Devon. ... HMS Achilles (from 1941 HMNZS Achilles) was a Leander class cruiser of 7,200 tons built in Birkenhead, England and launched on 1 September 1932. ... HMS Ajax was a Leander-class light cruiser. ... Kapitän zur See Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff (March 20, 1894 – December 19, 1939) was a German naval officer, most famous for his command of the Panzerschiff (pocket battleship) Admiral Graf Spee during the Battle of the River Plate. ... Department Montevideo Department Altitude 43 m Coordinates 34º 53S 56º 10W Founded 1726 Founder Bruno Mauricio de Zabala Population 1,325,968 (2004) (1st) Demonym Montevideano Phone Code +02 Postal Code 10000 Montevideo (IPA: ) is the capital, largest city, and chief port of Uruguay. ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

With the return of the crew to Germany the Hotel fell into disrepair and eventually in 1978 demolition began. On 8 July 1983 a fire destroyed most of the remaining hotel and today the site lies in ruins. July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ...

Reference

http://www.villaventana.com/exclubhotel/index.htm