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Orizaba’s Erector-Set
An hour and a half from Veracruz is the energetic but old city of Orizaba, an important site in Mexico’s war of independence against Spain. With narrow streets and colonial architecture, Orizaba is one of the state’s most charming localities. In it is found one huge architectural contradiction...
the old city hall.
The building crossed the ocean on a cargo ship and came from the port City of Veracruz in horse-drawn wagons up the constant slope to the edge of the Sierra Madre Oriental where Orizaba sits.
And there it was bolted together. It’s an all steel structure (now with wooden windows and doors). The columns are built-up from flat bars and angle iron. The walls, floors, and ceilings are sheet metal. Beams are built in the same manner as the columns. It was fabricated by Societé Anonyme des Forges D’Aiseau in Belgium, and was first assembled in France as Belgium’s pavilion for the World Exhibition in 1889.
After the World Exhibition is was disassembled, crated, and shipped to the new world.
It’s a fish out of water (Art Noveau in colonial Orizaba), but no matter. The city loves its erector-set building. It currently houses some government offices and a museum. Our students often make a weekend trip out of Orizaba and the slope of Orizaba Peak (the third highest mountain peak in North America). They’re always fascinated by this twice-built ocean-crossing metallic piece of architectural history.
Eric Langner March 29, 2007 07:29 PM