Rosario is a city that shows an accelerated growth in the second half of the XIX century. The author analyses the social structure at that time and shows different aspects such as: the labour market for popular sectors, the active role of the elite of the city in the municipal administration at that time, the deteriorated housing conditions of the poor, the tipes of popular housing and its location in the city, the main features of the popular sector's life described through the network of conflicts and interrelations valid at that time. He concludes that from this perspective -popular housing- there is a long way for historical studies to fulfill since very little has been done so far.