Iconic Stadiums | 1. El Palacio Ducó

The name says a lot and sets this venue apart. No mere stadium where supporters gather at weekends; this is a veritable palace proudly festooning its neighbourhood and preserving the history of Club Atlético Huracán. As the sea of supporters approaches, the stadium’s tower appears like a beacon calling them home.

The palace reveals itself in small details such as the yellow stars commemorating the titles won over the years, or the names of footballers and celebrities Homero Manzi, Luis Seijo, Jacinto Armando, Alfredo Barbieri and René Houseman, after whom sections of the stadium are named. In one corner, a neighbourhood jewellery shop stamped its publicity so that it could never be removed.

There’s also the sculpture of Ringo Bonavena, a boxer who grew up just a few blocks from the stadium and now sits immortalised in one of the stands. The letter H appears everywhere: in the terraces, in the combination of colours in the stand, on the walls and the shields with the hot air balloon that identifies the team.

On one side the seats are made from cement as extensions of the floor, and have a colour that appears to be washing out, the grey of the years gone by entering amid the red and white through so many people having sat - and stood - during the matches of their beloved Huracán.

When the stadium empties, you can appreciate the architectural details that make the Palacio Tomás Adolfo Ducó stand out. As its name indicates, it casts aside its function as a mere football stadium and shines like a palace.