DV-2
Plaza Caracas, perhaps one of the largest and most referential public areas in the city, was built for the Bicentennial of Simón Bolívar’s birth in 1983. The long plaza is contained by the lower bodies of the Centro Simón Bolívar to the west, between Edificio Norte and Edificio Sur, with a length equivalent to two blocks of the traditional downtown. With an approximate area of 14 thousand square meters, its space was originally part of the Avenida Bolívar, which crossed through at the level of the double-height galleries of the office buildings on both sides, like a mirror. After the downtown restructuring process, begun with Parque Vargas, it was completed as a square; the platform was paved with red granite from Guayana, and the avenue was moved underground. The place, lacking any urban furniture, has a single distinguishing feature: a monumental bust of Simón Bolívar, called «The Genius», by Spanish sculptor Victorio Macho (1887-1966). At the east end, the perspective is completed with the twin towers and the lower body of the Centro Simón Bolívar. Toward the west end, the square opens in perspective to the buildings of Bloque 1 of El Silencio and Plaza O’Leary. The square, invaded by informal trade for over a decade, was restored to its original state in 2008, and is used today as a place for civic celebrations and political concentrations.
DV-1
DDN