Eugenio Peschard Delgado was a Mexican architect. Prior to joining the faculty of the
National University in 1940, Peschard was an architect in the Ministry of Communications and Public Works and a member of the Council of Architecture of the Federal District. He translated a number of architectural books, including works by
Hardy Cross, S. Timoshenko, and Vanden Broek.
Early life
Born in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
sometime between 1877 and 1937, Peschard was the son of José Guadalupe Peschard and Concepción Delgado de Peschard. One of six children, Peschard's brothers were José Angel Peschard Delgado, a doctor and academic; Armando Peschard Delgado, a Mexico City doctor; and
Guillermo Peschard, an orthodontic dentist and academic at the
Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango
The Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango (''Juarez University of the State of Durango'', or UJED) is an institution of higher education in the state of Durango, Mexico. Founded in 1856 as a small state college, the university underwent a seri ...
.
Tour of the United States
Peschard traveled to the United States on a trip that was featured in the
U.S. Department of State's official Bulletin in 1948, during a period of increased outreach by the U.S. government to foster ties with Mexican officials. Alonso Mariscal, another professor at the
National Autonomous University of Mexico, traveled with Peschard to
Washington D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
to begin a two-month study of American methods of teaching architecture. Their visit was funded through the Latin American travel-grant program of the Department of State. Messrs. Marsical and Peschard visited the schools of architecture of
Harvard,
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
, the
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...
, and the
Chicago Art Institute
The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...
.
Contribution to Mexico City architecture
In the 20th century,
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
grew significantly. The construction of the
Ciudad Universitaria from 1950 to 1953 had a noticeable effect on subsequent architecture in the city. The most notable buildings are the Rectoría designed by Salvador Ortega,
Mario Pani and
Enrique del Moral, the Library, by
Juan O’Gorman
Juan O'Gorman (July 6, 1905 – January 17, 1982) was a Mexican painter and architect.
Early life and family
Juan O'Gorman was born on 6 July 1905 in Coyoacán, then a village to the south of Mexico City and now a borough of the Federal Distri ...
, Gustavo Saavedra and Juan Martínez de Velasco, and the Science Building by Peschard, Raúl Cacho, and Félix Sánchez. According to Daniel Case, "Much of what makes the campus culturally significant is its huge murals that decorate the facades of many of the buildings." These murals were done by
Diego Rivera
Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez, known as Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957), was a prominent Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the ...
,
David Siqueiros
David Alfaro Siqueiros (born José de Jesús Alfaro Siqueiros; December 29, 1896 – January 6, 1974) was a Mexican social realist painter, best known for his large public murals using the latest in equipment, materials and technique. Along with ...
and others, with themes relating to Mexican history and identity.
According to architecture historian Valerie Fraser, Peschard's Science Faculty design "counteracts the rather more rigid geometry of the Rectorate," with its mural by
José Chávez Morado
José Chávez Morado (4 January 1909 – 1 December 2002) was a Mexican artist who was associated with the Mexican muralism movement of the 20th century. His generation followed that of Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqu ...
at the upper part of the facade placed on a convex curve. Entitled ''The Conquest of Energy'', Morado's mural, according to Fraser, is "an allegory of the pursuit and conquest of scientific knowledge," which culminates, "on a slightly ambivalent note," with the discovery of nuclear energy.
In 2004, Celia Ester Arredando Zambrano wrote that the placement of the Science Building at the center of the university's main plaza "reveals that even though the campus was inspired by the modern city, a symbolic arrangement seems to prevail in the composition."
Art historian
Justino Fernández highlighted the building's auditorium, as well as its interior peculiarities, in particular what he termed its "unusual classrooms."
Books
*''Resistencia de Materiales'' (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 1963),
References
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Peschard, Eugenio
Peschard, Eugenio
Peschard, Eugenio
Peschard, Eugenio
Peschard, Eugenio
Peschard, Eugenio
Peschard, Eugenio