Casa de las bombas de la Condesa, monument in Mexico
The Casa de las Bombas de la Condesa is a pumping station building from 1907 that originally stood at the corner of Zamora and Alfonso Reyes streets in the Condesa neighborhood. The structure features a one-story main facade with a taller central section whose Roman-inspired arches frame a vaulted ceiling supported by Ionic columns.
Engineer Alberto J. Pani designed the building in 1907 as part of a project to modernize the city's water system, bringing water from Xochimilco springs to the growing city. The station remained active until 1940 when it was replaced by a newer facility at Xotepingo, after which the original building fell into disuse.
The name refers to the Condesa neighborhood where the building once stood and reflects its symbolic weight in the city's development. The facade displays decorative water motifs such as turtles and serpents that emphasize the central role this structure played in water supply.
The original structure was demolished in 1975, but its stone facade was carefully dismantled and preserved. The facade was later relocated to Tlalpan and integrated into the Casa de Cultura in 1986, where it now greets visitors within a cultural center featuring galleries and workshops.
The facade originally contained a statue of the god Neptune that was lost during conservation, yet the remaining water motifs quietly recall its original symbolic meaning. These losses and preservations reflect how urban infrastructure is continually redefined across decades.
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