managed by her son Juan Dillon, who saw the opportunity to make huge profits by selling out parts of the family's estate . In 1859 Juan Dillon commissioned the famous architect and engineer Pedro Benoit to design the layout of the new town, organizing it on a rectangular grid of streets and blocks. The town was enlarged and complemented by Benoit's designs for a town hall, avenue, train station, school and the Church of Our Lady of Mercy. The train station was opened on August 11, 1859. Merlo in the second half of the 20th century In the second half of the 20th century, Merlo experienced an important influx of immigrants from the provinces and the old town sprawled over the countryside and the farms were replaced by housing for residents with a lower range of incomes. Gallery Neighbourhoods Merlo Centro Merlo Centro is a middle class district clustered around the train station and comprehends the 1859 Juan Dillon's town. The administrative and commercial center is around the main avenue, Avenida del Libertador General San Martín. This tree-covered avenue stretches seven blocks from the railway station to the historic district and has few buildings reaching over two storeys in height. Historic buildings Nothing remains from Francisco de Merlo's town and hospice. The oldest building still standing in Merlo is the railway station, opened in 1859 in land donated by Juan Dillon's mother, Manuela Calderón. The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Merced (Our Lady of Mercy) was consecrated in 1864 and it was built in the same spot where the old Merlo's chapel stood. The building was also designed by Pedro Benoit —prominent neighbor of Merlo and recognized member of the Argentine freemasonry— and built by the Spanish master builder Antonio Ayerbe. The first parish priest was the Irish catholic priest Patrick Joseph Dillon, Juan Dillon's first cousin. He was appointed as chaplain for the Irish community in Merlo and years later he was elected senator in the legislature of Buenos Aires and founder of the newspaper The Southern Cross, which continues in print to this day. Barrios Merlo Norte Pompeya Argentino Lago del Bosque Las Violetas Amandi Reconquista Loma Florida San Eduardo Arco Iris Albatros Parque El Sol El Mirador 2da loma grande Notable people Gabriela Celeste Alaniz (born 1996) - world champion female boxer See also Merlo Partido External links Cities in Argentina Populated places in Buenos Aires