Iconic Luis Barragán Estate Set to Become Public Arts Hub
140Feb. 19, 2025
The hot-pink La Cuadra San Cristóbal, a Mexico City compound designed by renowned Mexican architectLuis Barragán, will open to the public as a cultural destination in October, displaying work by artists, architects, and designers. Melding traditional Mexican architecture and vivid hues with Modernist geometric abstraction and pure architectural volumes, the estate was built in the late 1960s as a private residence and equestrian facility set on 6.7 acres. Its transformation is courtesy of Fundación Fernando Romero, a not-for-profit foundation established by architect and design curator Fernando Romero, who bought the property last year and will oversee its renovation.
“Our work at the Fundación is driven by the belief that architectural innovation and artistic production can help foster a more just and culturally vibrant world,” said Romero in a statement. “It is a great honor to begin this work by envisioning La Cuadra as a dynamic cultural hub that encourages new possibilities at the intersection of art and architecture. Through a range of programming, we aim to catalyze the power of architecture for the visiting public and celebrate the enduring cultural influence of Luis Barragán.”
Over the coming decade, the foundation plans to add new pavilions adjacent to the compound and designed by international architects, among them Kengo Kuma, who will design a timber pavilion. Other planned features include an artist residency program; additional galleries, including one reserved for the display of the Archivo Collection of design objects; a series of temporary, site-specific installations; a podcast production studio; a library; a multipurpose event venue; a coffee shop; and a gift shop. The foundation during the Zona Maco art fair this month inaugurated what will be an annual experience, which this year featured Marina Abramović delivering a talk and performing an intervention in La Cuadra’s courtyard.
La Cuadra will celebrate its opening this fall with a permanent exhibition devoted to Barragán’s life and work. Highlighting his first Modernist buildings in Mexico City, the show is being curated by architect Jorge Covarrubias, who restored Barragán’s Casa Prieto López and Fuente del Bebedero.