Bella Epoca Cultural Center in Mexico City

The “Bella Epoca” Cultural Center occupies the former “Lido” movie theater, which was conceived by the American architect Charles Lee in 1942. Its design is simple and efficient: the circular canopy overhanging the entrance is heralded by a tower rising to 35m, and flanked by commercial premises on the avenues on its Northeast and North sides. A false tiled roof hides the volume of the theater, located at the back of the lot. The metal structure of the canopy was salvaged in its entirety, and its roof replaced by a glass cover. The foyer, to which 3 circular skylights were added, was transformed into an exhibition area. The former commercial premises on the Northeast side were turned into offices and storage rooms. A conference room and a movie theater seating 135 were built on top of these. An underground parking space for 55 cars was added on the North side. The bookstore occupies the former theater and the commercial premises on the North. The latter were opened up so as to provide complete transparence towards and from the street. The store comprises two areas on different levels, connected by a set of steps -interrupted by a sloped garden-, and a trapezoidal skylight. The larger room has a ceiling height of 6m. Its double height book case on the southern and eastern walls is accessed by means of an elevated glass-floored walkway (2,20m wide). This space also accommodates informal reading areas, with tall palm trees, and a coffee shop. The lower level is given over to the children’s bookstore and the cash registers. The ceiling, consisting of 256 translucent laminated glass plates, serigraphic with art work by Jan Hendrix, distributes uniform light across the whole room. Two large skylights opened into it stream natural daylight throughout the reading areas. The renovation has preserved the integrity of the façades, their moldings and details, as well as the tiled roofs. None of the added elements, such as the trapezoidal skylight and the conference room, can be seen from the street.