Torre Latinoamericana
The Torre Latinoamericana (literally, "Latin American Tower") is a skyscraper in downtown Mexico City, Mexico. Its central location, height (182 m or 597 ft; 44 stories), and history make it one of Mexico City's most important landmarks. It was also the city's tallest building from 1956, when it was built, until the 1984 completion of the Torre Ejecutiva Pemex, which is 22 m higher (although, if one subtracts the height of the TV antenna atop the Torre Latinoamericana, it was surpassed in 1972 by the 172 m high Hotel de México, which was subsequently remodelled and turned into the World Trade Center Mexico).
Many think this was the first Mexican skyscraper. However, skyscrapers first appeared in Mexico City between 1910 and 1935. The tallest of the time, the International Capital Building ( Edificio Internacional de Capitalización ) was completed in 1935. This building was surpassed by the Latinoamericana Tower on September 30, 1955.
The Torre Latinoamericana was built to headquarter La Latinoamericana Seguros, SA, an insurance company from which the building took its name during the postwar boom of the late 1940s to mid-1960s. Originally the insurance company occupied a smaller building at the same location. In 1947 the company temporarily relocated to a nearby office while the tower was built. Once it was finished in 1956, the insurance company moved into the tower's 4th to 8th floors. The rest of the building's office space was for lease. At the time of its completion the Torre Latinoamericana was the 45th tallest building in the world. Its public observation deck on the 44th floor was the highest in Mexico City until one was opened on the 52nd floor of the Torre Mayor in December 2004.
The tower gained notoriety when it withstood a 1957 earthquake, thanks to Nathan M. Newmark's design of its steel frame construction and deep-seated pilons, which were necessary given Mexico City's frequent earthquakes and muddy soil composition which makes the terrain tricky to build on. This feat garnered it recognition in the form of the American Institute of Steel Construction Award of Merit for "the tallest building ever exposed to a huge seismic force" (as is attested by plaques in the building's lobby and observation deck). However, an even greater test came with the September 19, 1985 earthquake, which the tower withstood without problems. The project was designed and executed by Dr. Leonardo Zeevaert, a Mexican civil engineer born in Veracruz. Prior to the construction, Dr. Zeevaert carried a number of soil mechanics studies in the construction site, and designed the structure accordingly. Today this is common and even mandatory practice, but at the time it was quite an innovation. Today the tower is considered one of the safest buildings in the city despite its potentially dangerous location.
While it was being built, detractors said that there was no way a building of that size could withstand one of Mexico City's earthquakes. However, there is a legend that on the day of the 1957 earthquake, Dr. Zeevaert was inspecting something or other on the roof of the tower, and that he got to see and feel how his tower withstood the quake while the surrounding buildings collapsed.
The tower is mainly owned by the Amerlinck family, ever since its foundation by businessman Miguel Macedo, related to the family. Some floors of the tower were purchased in 2002 by Mexican businessman Carlos Slim.
In 2006, the tower celebrated its 50th anniversary. A ceremony was held on April 30, 2006, which included the reopening of the newly-remodelled 38th to 44th floors and a site museum, and unveiling of recognitions granted by the World Federation of Great Towers. Plans for the tower include a facelift, which will redo the building's exteriors using new materials, while maintaining the original design and look; since the tower is considered a historical monument its exterior look can not be altered.
Trivia
- The tower can be briefly seen from inside a helicopter during the beginning of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.
- It's also featured prominently in Alfonso Cuarón's Sólo con tu pareja.