Franz mayer mask exhibit
In the Centro Historico of Mexico City
just north of Alameda Park, is
the historic Museo Franz Mayer, which houses a rich collection of objects
that provide an insight into the history and heritage of the Mexican
identity. There are two notable churches, one still in use as a
church and the other is under ownership of the Franz Mayer Museum.
Plaza Santa Cruz is a notable plaza with fountains and trees, giving
way to a breezeway north to the street. A bridge will be connecting
the new expansion over the breezeway to the existing museum.
There is a print museum in the plaza as well.
The museum currently
sits at 64,000 square feet of internal space, with 9,000 square feet of
courtyard space. This project aims to expand the museum to an adjacent
18,000 square foot lot, currently occupied by three, small mixed
use buildings. The project proposes relocating these buildings to an
unoccupied lot across the street. The expansion will utilize an unoccupied
historic building on the corner. The expansion is will be fully
dedicated to the Ruth D. Lechuga collection of Mexican masks allowing
it to be displayed in its entirety.
The collection contains a broad
array of masks and is currently organized in the following categories:
including: traditional dance masks, men’s masks, female masks, dominion
of the animals masks, biblical masks, devil masks, death
masks, and abstract and fantastic masks (Lechuga). There will be
three different types of displays, a walkthrough area, a wall gallery
area, and an interactive area.
The museum will wind around the spaces like a snake would and
a procession of a mask festival. Bridging across the breezeway, the
program extends the second floor area into the new space. A gallery
space with the floor and ceiling open, reveals a new type of
courtyard for the museum. An entry way is located at street level,
with a reception desk and an elevator close by. Education, bathrooms,
and an exterior courtyard are on the first floor as well. A
façade which gives way to crevices allow the brick screen walls to
filter in light to the space. A café is on the first floor in the courtyard
area, and views of the cathedral are seen in this open air environment,
where the program connects through the courtyard
as well as on the street. Vegetation surrounds the building, letting
the natural greenery soothe the occupant before and after entering.
The occupants will rise to three stories, where they will enjoy
a view of the city from a comfortable height. The third floor allows
the occupants to create masks and socialize while viewing the
modern city. A metal façade as well as glass will permeate the top
floor. Education and bathrooms hug the first level’s renovated
existing walls. The design of the museum is a snake like procession,
which is more linear and open than the closed o partitions
of the existing museum. Overall, the building will be an appropriate
addition to the Centro Historico, because of its modest footprint
and carefully designed spaces. The occupants will enjoy a
rich and diverse space that will serve the museum’s collection for
years to come.
