Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis (May 7, 1931 – December 30, 2011)[1] was a Mexican architect. He was a prolific designer of private houses, public buildings and master plans in Mexico, the United States and some other countries.[2]

Ricardo Legorreta
Born
Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis

(1931-05-07)May 7, 1931
DiedDecember 30, 2011(2011-12-30) (aged 80)
NationalityMexican
Alma materUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México
OccupationArchitect
DesignLandscaping and brightly colored Cubist designs

He was awarded the prestigious UIA Gold Medal in 1999,[3] the AIA Gold Medal in 2000, and the Praemium Imperiale in 2011.

Life and career edit

Ricardo Legorreta was born on May 7, 1931, in Mexico City. He studied architecture at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, where he graduated in 1953. After working for ten years with José Villagrán García, he established his own office in 1963.[2]

Architectural expression edit

Legorreta was a disciple of Luis Barragán and carried Barragan's ideas to a wider realm.[citation needed] Barragan, in the 1940s and 1950s amalgamated tradition and the modern movement in architecture yet his work is mostly limited to domestic architecture.[citation needed] Legorreta applied elements of Barragan's architecture in his work including bright colors, play of light and shadow, and solid Platonic geometric shapes.[citation needed] One of the important contributions of Legorreta has been the use of these elements in other building types such as hotels, factories as well as in commercial and educational buildings.[citation needed] His most famous works are the Camino Real Hotel in Mexico City, the IBM Factory in Guadalajara and the Cathedral of Managua.[citation needed]

Works edit

 
Fountain in Pershing Square, Los Angeles
 
San Antonio Public Library, Texas, 1995
 
Torre BBVA Bancomer on Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City, currently the 3rd tallest building in Mexico

In Mexico City edit

Other cities in Mexico edit

United States edit

Central America edit

 
Centro Comercial Multiplaza Panamericana in San Salvador, El Salvador, 2005.
 
New Cathedral of Managua, Nicaragua

Other countries edit

Other Recognition edit

In 2000, Legoretta received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[8]

In 2002, Legoretta received the Order of Isabella the Catholic granted by the government of Spain.

References edit

  1. ^ El Universal: Hijo de Legorreta afirma que murió tranquilo, 30 December 2011 (Spanish)
  2. ^ a b UIA: 1999 Gold Medalist Jury Citation Archived 2012-05-10 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 31 December 2011
  3. ^ UIA homepage: Laureates Archived 2009-10-09 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "CasaReyna". Archived from the original on 2017-03-07.
  5. ^ "Hotel Camino Real Monterrey".
  6. ^ "Chiron Life Sciences Center". www.tutorperini.com. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  7. ^ "Tom Bradley Legacy Foundation at UCLA: Tom Bradley Gallery at UCLA International Center". www.tombradleylegacy.org.
  8. ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.

Further reading edit

External links edit