Photo: Nan Palmero via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Art Nouveau is alive and well in Mexico City. To travel in time and step into this lavish architectural style, you just need to visit the Gran Hotel de la Ciudad de México. The building is full of history and boasts one of the most beautiful hotel lobbies in the world.
Located just across the street from the Zócalo, Mexico City’s main square, the hotel is stunning for its plaza views. However, this is just one of the many features that makes this place so special. Housed in a building from 1899, it was originally envisioned as an upscale department store—the Centro Mercantil—and modeled after Paris’ Galleries Lafayette and Au Bon Marché, symbolizing Mexico’s efforts to be perceived as a modern country.
The façade on the side of the main entrance has a Neoclassical design, while the side that faces the Zócalo shares the unifying Neocolonial architecture that brings the buildings on the main square together. Once inside, visitors can take in many of the original Art Nouveau details.
The most notable feature of all is the 1908 stained glass ceiling conceived by French artisan Jacques Grüber, who also collaborated at the Galleries Lafayette. At the center of the domed ceiling sit three medallions, while the surrounding patterns are meant to evoke the emerging, innovative railroads.
Rounding out this Art Nouveau oasis are its cage-like elevators (the second oldest in Mexico, just after the ones at the National Palace), the organic shapes of each balcony that leads to the main lobby, the ornate Louis XIV chandeliers, the sprawling rugs with botanic motifs, and all the ironwork around the building.
The building was turned into a hotel for the 1968 Summer Olympics, dazzling visitors around the world and serving a new purpose during the coming decades. Should you want to visit, you can book a room or have brunch on the terrace—everyone will understand if you can’t choose between the sights outside or inside.
The Gran Hotel de la Ciudad de México is packed with Art Nouveau details, making its hall one of the most beautiful hotel lobbies in the world.
Photo: izanbar/Depositphotos
The façade on the side of the main entrance has a Neoclassical design.
Photo: José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Once inside, visitors can take in many original Art Nouveau details.
Photo: Photosimo/Depositphotos
Housed in a building from 1899, it was originally envisioned as an upscale department store.
Photo: Octavio Alonso Maya via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The most notable feature is the stained glass ceiling conceived by French artisan Jacques Grüber.
Photo: Nan Palmero via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
At the center of the domed glass ceiling sit three medallions, while the surrounding patterns are meant to evoke the modern railroads.
Photo: izanbar/Depositphotos
Rounding out this Art Nouveau oasis are its cage-like elevators and the organic shapes of each balcony that lead to the main lobby.
Photo: jiawangkun/Depositphotos
Photo: jiawangkun/Depositphotos
It also boasts unbeatable views of Mexico City’s main square.
Photo: dubassy/Depositphotos
Gran Hotel de la Ciudad de México: Website
Sources: Gran Hotel de la Ciudad de Mexico History; Breve historia del Gran Hotel de la Ciudad de México
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