ARCHITECTS OF MEXICO CITY: FRANCISCO J. SERRANO

FRANCISCO J. SERRANO (1900-1982) was a civil engineer and architect whose Art Deco and modernist buildings grace Colonia Condesa and other areas of Mexico City. He is part of an architectural dynasty.

His father, J. Francisco Serrano, designed several notable buildings in the city, such as the Edificio La Esmeralda (1892) and the Edificio Paris (1907) in the Centro Histórico.

His son, Francisco Serrano, (www.franciscoserranoarquitecto.com) is best known for his design of Terminal 2 of the Mexico City airport and the office buidling known as 'Los Pantelones'.

                                                  Edificio Jardines, Amsterdam 285, at Sonora

The second Serrano, Francisco J., is probably best known as the architect of the swanky Edificio Basurto in Condesa, but as you wander around the colonia, you'll notice that many of the best Art Deco buildings are his. An early work, the fanciful Edifico Jardines at the corner of Sonora and Amsterdam (across from Starbucks) features multiple balconies, terraces and mini-lighthouses on top. The streamline house at the corner of Michoacán and Avenida Mexico looks like a set for a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie.

Several of his houses have been altered or covered over with commercial signage, or have disappeared behind giant trees. But he undoubtably left the mark of his creative vision on Mexico City. Surprisingly, there is no monograph about him.

  

                                           Avenida Amsterdam, corner of Michoacán

Huichapan 20

Amsterdam 285

                                           

                                                                Pasaje Polanco

Here is a list of buildings I've been able to attribue to him:

COLONIA CONDESA

Laredo 5, 1933

Amsterdam 110, 1931

Laredo 22 (externsively remodelled), 1942

El Plaza Condesa (Parque España),1946

Edificio Casa Jardines, Amsterdam 285, 1928-30

Edificio Basurto, 1942-45

Nuevo León 68, 1952

Michoacán 43, 1935

Avenida Mexico 75, 1934

Nuevo León 120, 1936

Campeche 302, 1932

Amsterdam 206, 1935

Avenida Mexico 123, 1932

Chilpancingo 39, 1946

Chilpancingo 46, 1931

Parque España 49

Parque España 59

Huichapan 20

COLONIA ROMA

Edificio Rio de Janiero, Orizaba and Durango, Roma (ground floor remodel)

Edificio Anahuac, Queretaro 109, Colonia Roma (1932)

Edificio Acro, Insurgentes at Quintana Roo, 1937

Edificio Glorieta, Insurgentes at Chilpancingo, 1938

POLANCO

Pasaje Polanco, c. 1938

Emilio Castelar 6

Emilio Castelar 24

E.C. and Galileo, corner house

Arquimedes and Newton, corner house

Newton and Aristoteles

Conjunto San Carlos, Moliere, Seneca and Masaryk

CENTRO

Cine Teresa

OTHER

Faculty of Engineering, UNAM (collaboration), c. 1954

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Church, Santa María de la Ribera

UNDER 50 PESOS: Where to Eat in Colonia Roma

I've worked in Colonia Roma for almost nine years and have watched, amazed, as the place turns into hipster heaven (or hell, depending on your point of view). Roma has become the most talked about destination for creative cooking, with excellent restaurants like Maximo Bistrot, Rosetta, and Delirio drawing crowds from all over town.

On most workdays, however, I'm not looking to spend the kind of money you need to eat in these places. And sometimes I just want to eat, not to dine.

Luckily, Colonia Roma abounds in inexpensive places to eat well. I'm hoping my readers will respond with their favorites, but I'll keep this list short--limited to places I've been to multiple times, always with happy results. You're not likely to be asking for the recipes at these places, but you are likely to leave feeling contented.

Tacos de Canasta (at the corner of Jalapa and Álvaro Obregón). Quick, cheap and satisfying describes a lunch of a few tacos de frijol, topped with spicy green salsa, at this corner puesto, where a few plastic stools and an overhanging tree make up the ambience.

Torta stand (Tonalá between Queretaro and San Luís Potosí). A bowl of roasted jalapeños on the counter wins this simple stand in the middle of the street an extra star.

Comida Corrida: When I want something a little more comfortable than standing on the street, I'll go to one of the many comida corrida places that abound in Roma, which serve office workers and students in the area who can't make it home for mom's cooking. A complete meal will include a soup course, rice or salad, a main dish, agua del dia, and often a bit of dessert (usually jello or canned fruit). In many places the soup will be watery, starches will abound, sugar and salt will be the only flavorings. The following places are all a cut above average. They often get full after 2pm, but the turnover is fast.

El Axotleño (Coahuila 152, between Monterrey and Medellín). This busy place, adjacent to the Mercado Medellín, is my first choice for a satisfying comida corrida. Even an often dull dish, like albondigas al chipotle, comes to life here.

CoffeeLand (Zacatecas 117, near Orizaba). The sign here is so small you might miss it, but students from the adjacent university know this place and fill it daily. The only danger here is the basket full of fresh totopos (fried tortilla chips) that you'll find on each table--hard to resist.

Krika's (at the corner of Chihuahua and Monterrey). If you're in a hurry, this is the place. I've never seen waiters move so fast in Mexico.

ART FAIRS IN MEXICO CITY, February 5-9

Two major art fairs will be taking place simultaneously the first week of February. 

                                     

  
                                      ZONA MACO

Mexico City's biggest international art fair will take place from February 5 to 9 at the
Banamex Center, Sala D. Click HERE for map.

For more information visit their website:  http://zonamaco.com/pages/home.php

                             
                               MATERIAL ART FAIR

The fair will be held in the convention center of the Hilton Mexico City Reforma, a five-star hotel in the historic center of Mexico City. Click HERE for map. 

Material Art Fair, a new international contemporary art fair in Mexico City with a focus on emerging practices, is pleased to announce its premiere edition which will take place from February 6th - 9th, 2014, parallel to the eleventh edition of Zona Maco, one of Latin America’s most important contemporary art fairs.

Material will feature 40 invited galleries, project spaces, bookstores, and non-profits, (complete list follows) all of which have been selected on the basis of the quality of their proposals as well as their general commitment to adventurous programming and support for emerging artists. There will also be a conference series, parallel activities throughout the city, and a VIP program concentrated on Mexico City’s exciting and rapidly growing project space and apartment gallery scene. 

Website: material-fair.com | Twitter: @materialfair | Facebook: facebook.com/materialfair