Fundación Fernando Romero, the not-for-profit foundation established by award-winning architect and design curator Fernando Romero announced plans to adapt the historic, Luis Barragán-designed La Cuadra San Cristóbal into a cultural resource for the public at large and the world’s art and architecture community.
A 6.7-acre walled compound in northwest Mexico City, La Cuadra San Cristóbal was designed by Barragán in the late 1960s as a private estate encompassing a residence, equestrian facilities, and an ample landscape.
In 2017, architect and philanthropist Fernando Romero recognized that the property’s transition to new owners could risk its integrity. Through his foundation, Romero acquired the property with two objectives: to protect this architectural masterpiece and to make it into a new cultural platform, where the work of artists, architects, and designers will be exhibited. La Cuadra will formally open to the public in October 2025.
Fernando Romero said, “Our work at the Fundación is driven by the belief that architectural innovation and artistic production can help foster a more just and culturally vibrant world. It is a great honor to begin this work by envisioning La Cuadra as a dynamic cultural hub that encourages new possibilities at the intersection of art and architecture. Through a range of programming, we aim to catalyze the power of architecture for the visiting public and celebrate the enduring cultural influence of Luis Barragán.”
Over the next decade, a multi-phase plan for La Cuadra’s campus will integrate architectural preservation with the addition of new pavilions, sited adjacent to the La Cuadra compound and commissioned from internationally acclaimed architects--including a timber pavilion designed by Kengo Kuma—creating a destination that evolves to accommodate and adapt to ever-changing cultural invention and programming. Fernando Romero’s master plan envisions an infrastructure capable of facilitating the rich relationship between art and architecture, providing a platform for endless creativity in one of the most vibrant spaces in Mexico.
Fernando Romero is an award-winning architect, design curator, and philanthropist. Since founding his 60-person studio in Mexico City in 2000, Romero has been driven by research, experimentation, and a commitment to integrating historical, social, economic, and environmental contexts into contemporary urban developments. The studio’s portfolio spans a wide range of typologies and geographies, with notable achievements including the Soumaya Museum in Mexico City and transformative nation-building projects in El Salvador, such as Bitcoin City and the Aeropuerto Internacional del Pacífico.
While Fundación Fernando Romero operates as an independent nonprofit entity, it benefits from a symbiotic relationship with Fernando Romero’s commercial office. His team of architects and designers is actively involved in the foundation’s initiatives, with a particular emphasis on the design and master planning of the new cultural campus at La Cuadra San Cristóbal.
Main Image: Exterior courtyard at La Cuadra San Cristóbal, credit: Yannik Wegner, courtesy Fundación Fernando Romero.
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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