This year, Scratch House celebrates a century of history. Going back to its origin makes us travel back in time to 1920, when the world was very different from today’s one.
At that time, the road that linked Córdoba with Villa Allende was dirt, and there were only a few rest houses belonging to the most influential families in the region, as well as small nearby businesses.
It is important to mention that the country was going through a period of splendor. Its economy reflected great growth and prosperity that fill the most developed countries with admiration.
Not only did the agricultural sector grow, but many industry, commerce and cultural activities were also conducted, which encouraged mass immigration from various parts of the world. Argentina had become a reliable country and an attractive destination to create future.
The beginnings: A House for Illustrious Personalities
Curiously, this property was converted into a boutique hotel in 2019. Only three different families lived in it during its 100-year life.
Between 1918 and 1919, the family of Danish immigrants bearing the Ditlevsen last name, founders of the Córdoba Golf Club, built a summer house in Villa Allende.
The mansion, which adopted the unmistakable English “Neo Tudor” style, was designed by the Danish architect Morten Ronnow – the author of several works of great architectural value in Argentina, such as the Otto Wulff building in Buenos Aires.
After a few decades, the Ditlevsens sold the property to the renowned lawyer Guillermo Rothe, a successful professional who was very active politically: he was founder of the National Democratic Party, founder of the Jockey Club of Córdoba, deputy, senator and national minister on several occasions, and a personal friend of Ramón J. Cárcano.
This background makes us think that he must have invited his acquaintances and multiple personalities from Córdoba and the whole country to visit the house at that time.
Years later, Manuel Tagle, a pioneer of the Córdoba automotive industry, bought the mansion from Rothe for his family. Manuel Tagle’s son remembers the following:
“Our family enjoyed the house in the long summers. My mother Nora had a special affection and dedication for it. I understand that she was responsible for our father making the effort to buy it (…) there were fruit trees, a vegetable garden, a good chicken coop and a woodshed. Everything resembled old-fashioned ways. Even the lawn in the park was mowed with an advanced horse-drawn mower.”
Guillermo Rothe sold the property to the Tagle family with the furniture included. Most of these pieces of furniture are part of the current charm of the house, giving it that cherished tradition that is only produced when time passes by. The magnificent original park is also maintained with large native trees and other exotic species, which give it a very special appeal.
In 2019, the rooms of the large house were refurbished and restored – preserving their essence – to build Scratch House, our “petit hôtel” designed for quality tourism and intended for all those who want to relive the atmosphere of a golden age and enjoy the peaceful Córdoba sierras at the same time.
“Each corner has the inevitable seasoning of personal and family experiences, intimately linked to the historical events that went through it. Today, 100 years after its creation, the doors of Scratch House are still open, to continue writing its history together with all those who decide to visit it.”
Manuel Tagle (son)We would like to especially thank Manuel Tagle’s son for sending us the valuable first-person account of the history of Scratch House
