The property, which was at risk of being demolished and replaced by condominiums, was painstakingly restored with local materials by local craftspeople to respect its history
BARILOCHE, ARGENTINA—Outdoor apparel company Patagonia’s newest retail location in Argentina is part store, part museum: Completed in 1916, the building was once home to explorer, mountaineer and environmentalist Emilio Frey and his wife, Rosa Schumacher.
The 6-acre property was put on sale in 2014 after Nelly Schumacher’s passing. Since then, Frey’s descendants had been looking for a buyer that would conserve the home, known as Los Cipreses or Casa Frey, and honor Frey’s legacy as an advocate for nature and director of South America’s first national park.
“This land inspired me to create the company, and four years ago, we started looking for a place to open a store in Bariloche,” Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard said. “I didn’t know Emilio Frey’s story, but when I learned that he was one of Argentina’s first skiers and mountaineers, with such a strong legacy in conservation and love for nature, there was no doubt.”
With local experts on hand to oversee renovation of the property—including Schumacher’s famed garden and roses—the California-based company, which is named in honor of the region, spent a year restoring the house and other buildings on the lakefront property before opening.
Patagonia’s retail locations around the world often occupy historical buildings and utilize local materials to maintain the structures’ spirit and former lives. Its store in Alexandria, Va., for instance, screens films regularly, as the space was once a theater.
“When Patagonia revealed their plans for Los Cipreses, it was a relief to see how beautiful it was,” said Isabelle Bovey, Frey’s granddaughter. “It perfectly matched our dream. They weren’t going to destroy anything; instead, they were going to restore the old house with top-quality materials. The abandoned garden was going to flourish again. So, like in a children’s story, you could say it all ended well.”
Casa Frey is the company’s first retail location in Argentine Patagonia and the 14th store in Latin America. In addition to selling products, there is on-site garment repair and event space for workshops, fire-prevention talks and a marketplace for organic producers in the region. Recently, it served as a donation center to help those affected by devastating wildfires that swept through the area during the summer.
"Whenever we open a new store, my wife always says it must be something meaningful for the community, something that adds value and serves as a space for gathering and activities,” Chouinard said. “Restoring this house and turning it into a place open to all it must be a gift to the neighborhood.”
Assets
Press images here.
Press contact
PatagoniaPress@Patagonia.com
About Patagonia
We’re in business to save our home planet. Founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company based in Ventura, California. As a certified B Corporation and a founding member of 1% for the Planet, the company is recognized internationally for its product quality and environmental activism, as well as its contributions of more than $230 million to environmental organizations. Its unique ownership structure reflects that Earth is its only shareholder: Profits not reinvested back into the business are paid as dividends to protect the planet.
###