Art Deco in the Historic Center

 When thinking about Mexico City's Historic Center, most people think of colonial architecture... colonial palaces and churches dating back several centuries.  But in fact the area has a wide variety of architectural styles, including art deco, a style which become popular internationally in the 1920s and 30s.

I was recently reading an article from old edition of "Km. Cero", a free magazine that is handed out by museums and some stores in the Historic Center.

The article listed some of the examples of art deco to be found in the Historic Center.  I decided to walk around the area and see if I could find the buildings in the article.

The first one I found was the Villarcayo Building on Donceles Street. Although it has seen better days, it still appears to be occupied as an apartment building.

The curved balconies, doorway and decorative features all mark it as a part of the art deco movement.

I noticed this banner on the building which says that it is in the process of expropriation by the city government.

From what I read on the internet, expropriation occurs when the residents have requested the process because the building deteriorated and poses a structural risk.  But because the building is of historical and artistic value, I doubt that it would be demolished.  It will be interesting to see what happens to it.

A variation of art deco is a style known as Streamline Moderne whose aerodynamic lines are reminiscent of an airplane or ocean liner.  One example is the Thermidor Building on the corner of Palma and Venustiano Carranza Streets.

The ground floor is occupied by a branch of the coffee shop chain "La Parroquia" and the upper floors are the NH Collection Hotel, part of a chain based in Spain.

A walk east along Venestiano Carranza Street through a congested commercial district away from the tourist area of the Historic Center brought me to this building.

The building originally housed a chocolate factory called "La Cubana".

The facade features art deco geometric lettering and decorative details.

My walk took me past a couple of buildings which were not on the list, but which to my uneducated eye appeared to be art deco.

The original downtown branch of the Liverpool Department Store

An office building built by Lebanese-Mexican businessman Miguel E. Abed.

Later, a quick check on the internet confirmed that both are examples of art deco.

At this point I was getting tired, and the overcast sky threatened rain.  So I took the Metro and Metrobus back to the apartment.  The rest of the list of art deco buildings will have to wait for another day.