The World Trade Center Mexico City, commonly known by its former name,

Hotel de México The Hotel de México was to have been the largest hotel in the Americas, a huge project started by the entrepreneur Manuel Suárez y Suárez in 1966 in Mexico City, Mexico. The project ran out of control and was never completed. After Suárez die ...

, is a building complex located in the wealthy neighborhood of

Colonia Nápoles Colonia Nápoles is a colonia, is an officially recognized neighborhood in Benito Juárez borough, Mexico City, and one of the iconic Mid-Century neighborhoods of Mexico City along with Colonia Del Valle. Location It is bordered by: * Viaducto ...

in central Mexico City. Its most famous and recognizable feature is the 50-story, high Torre WTC, the biggest building in the local area. It is the third tallest building in Mexico City when including antenna and the fourth largest to its roof height. The complex includes a convention center, cultural center, parking facilities, a multi-screen cinema, a revolving 45th-floor luxury restaurant, and a shopping center with Sears (originally opened as a JCPenney, the first location outside of the USA) as an anchor tenant. It will also include a 22-floor hotel, which is currently under construction. Located on

Avenida de los Insurgentes Avenida de los Insurgentes ( en, Avenue of the Insurgents), sometimes known simply as Insurgentes, is the longest avenue in Mexico City, with a length of on a north-south axis across the city. Insurgentes has its origins in what was during the ...

, the complex is served by the Polyforum station of the Metrobús

Bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

system, located a few meters away. The station is named after the Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros, a part of the WTC complex.

History

The WTC México began its existence as the

, a building and complex that did not perform as intended. Construction of the Hotel de México was in a lot called "Parque de La Lama" located in the Napoles neighborhood (''Spanish: Colonia Nápoles''). The lot was set aside by real estate businessperson, José Jerónimo de La Lama in 1947. However, by 1966, when the project started, the owner and financial sponsor was

Manuel Suárez y Suárez Manuel Suárez y Suárez (23 March 1896 – 23 July 1987) was a Spanish immigrant to Mexico who became a successful entrepreneur and patron of the arts. He is known for the Casino de la Selva in Cuernavaca, the Hotel de México, and the adjacent Po ...

. The Hotel de México project included a hotel building as well as a cultural center housing the Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros and several other facilities aimed at making the complex a hub for business, culture, tourism, and architecture. Plans for the complex were presented at the 13th international architecture contest in Munich. Planned to be ready for the

1968 Olympics 1968 Olympics may refer to: * 1968 Summer Olympics, which were held in Mexico City, Mexico * 1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter ...

, the project overran and exceeded its budget. Although the main tower was completed in 1972, it did not function as a hotel, due to political and economic reasons. The tower as well as the rest of the complex was left in an unfinished state, aside from the Polyforum. In the mid-1980s, a project was started to turn the Hotel de México complex into an international business center. Mr. Suárez backed the idea and although he died in 1988, the remodeling began with partial public funding in 1992. In 1995, the complex, now known as World Trade Center México, opened its doors with the tower functioning as an office building and convention center. Floors 40 and 41 housed TV studios for Corporación de Noticias e Información, which operated XHTVM Canal 40. On May 19, 2005, these floors were evacuated after the beginning of a strike at CNI. The facilities have remained untouched since, due to the legal cases that have followed CNI since 2005. The WTC also houses the transmission facilities for XHFO-FM. Most recently, the World Trade Center added a second theater: the 7,500-seat Pepsi Center WTC, which was completed in 2012. It is used primarily for concerts and stage shows.

Functions

WTC Tower has a seismic detector that monitors land movements to stop elevators during earthquakes. It is considered an intelligent building due to its intelligent light system. The tower is managed by a system that controls the facilities and equipment. This includes the electrics, mechanical ventilation, sanitation, elevators and fire protection.

External links

CIEC WTC Official Website

Pepsi Center WTC Official Website

Nuevo Portal Torre WTC

References

{{Authority control Skyscraper office buildings in Mexico City Mexico Benito Juárez, Mexico City Buildings and structures with revolving restaurants Office buildings completed in 1972 Towers completed in 1972 1970s in Mexico City 20th-century architecture in Mexico Convention centers in Mexico Music venues in Mexico Theatres in Mexico City

History

Functions

See also

External links

References