Obelisk

This guide to the Obelisk in Buenos Aires opens with an Italian mason who died building it, then traces the frantic 1936 rush to finish the tower in five weeks for the city's 400th anniversary, driven by a mayor's deadline. It follows the German construction firm's methods and the backlash once porteños got their first look at the finished monument, including a near-unanimous city council vote against it. Look inside at the bare interior staircase as you climb toward the small windows at the top.