Edificio La Nacional, Art Deco office building in Historical Centre, Mexico City
Edificio La Nacional is an Art Deco office building with 13 floors rising 55 meters in the Historical Centre of Mexico City. Its facade displays geometric patterns and ornamental details that define the structure's distinctive character among surrounding architecture.
Built between 1929 and 1932 under architect Manuel Ortiz Monasterio's direction, this structure was Mexico's first building to exceed 10 stories. It marked a turning point in the country's tower development and opened new possibilities for urban growth.
The building sits across from Palacio de Bellas Artes and reflects how Mexico City reinvented itself architecturally in the early twentieth century. Its geometric ornamentation shows the moment when the city embraced modern design alongside its own artistic traditions.
The building faces Avenida Juárez directly opposite the Palacio de Bellas Artes, with the Alameda Central a short walk away. Five elevators serve its 13 office floors. Its steel frame and 100 concrete piles, sunk some 55 metres to reach firm ground, were engineered for the soft, seismic soil of the city centre.
Its design was inspired by the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan, and it was the first building in Mexico to use steel and concrete together. Around 100 concrete piles reached 55 metres down to stable rock, and it has withstood more than 10 earthquakes without structural failure.
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