Jorge Loyzaga

Jorge Loyzaga
Born1937-1938
Mexico City, Mexico
OccupationArchitect
Children2
Buildings

Jorge Loyzaga is a Mexican architect, interior designer, conservator-restorer and professor. He is the founder of Loyzaga Studio, which has become the most prominent proponent of New Classical architecture in Mexico.

An estimated 600[1] architectural works have been attributed to Loyzaga, primarily private residences. Loyzaga has taken inspiration from distinct architectural traditions, including pre-Hispanic, Spanish Baroque and Beaux-Arts.[2]

Career

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Loyzaga Studio was founded in 1969.[3]

In regards to restoration, some notable examples are Loyzaga's involvement in the interior design for some of the rooms in Chapultepec Castle and help in the restoration of the main altar of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City.[3] In the early 1990s, Loyzaga helped with restoration work of the Fort Nuestra Señora de la Soledad in Humåtak, Guam.[4]

The Torre Comercial América, on the right

Completed in 1991, the Torre Comercial América was the tallest skyscraper in the Monterrey metro area until 2000, when it was surpassed by Torre Avalanz.[5]

Loyzaga Studio is a member of the International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture & Urbanism (INTBAU)[6] and the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art.[7]

In the 1980s,[8] Loyzaga designed La Milarca,[9] the private home of Mauricio Fernández Garza in San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León. The building was best known for its incorporation of a 16th century Mudéjar ceiling from Almagro, Spain. In 1928 the ceiling was smuggled to the United States by Arthur Byne at the request of William Randolph Hearst.[8] It was purchased by Fernández Garza in 1975 from an estate sale in North Carolina.[8] A replica of La Milarca was created to house the art collection of Fernández Garza as a public museum, the Museo La Milarca, including the original Mudéjar ceiling.[10]

The studio is headquartered in San Miguel Chapultepec and is currently run by Loyzaga with his twin daughters, Sophia Alexandra Loyzaga and Fernanda Loyzaga.[3]

Completed in 2018, the Centro Cultural Juan Beckmann Gallardo is a cultural institute in Tequila, Jalisco ran by the Beckmann family, owners of the José Cuervo tequila brand. The cultural institute was inspired by the 18th century Baroque building of the Colegio de San Ignacio de Loyola Vizcaínas.[11]

Throughout its existence, Loyzaga Studio has employed several workshops of traditional Mexican craftspeople, particularly woodworkers, for their projects.[12]

In 2023, the first book covering Loyzaga's work was published by Rizzoli.[1] The illustrated book covers 19 residential buildings.[1] Philip Alvaré, editor of the book, cited the 1897 manuel The Decoration of Houses as having an influence on Loyzaga.[13]

Personal life

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Loyzaga designed and owns a house in Acapulco that incorporates parts of a transplanted 18th century bahay na bato with capiz shell windows.[14][13] The house is a reference to the Manila-Acapulco Galleons.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Cantú, Régulo. "Aprecia NY su talento". www.elnorte.com (in Spanish). El Norte. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Jorge Loyzaga: Classical and Harmonic Proportions". Rizzoli New York. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Alvaré, Philip (30 September 2022). "In Mexico City, a Design Scholar and His Daughters Create Timeless Furniture". 1stDibs Introspective. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  4. ^ Galván Guijo, Juan. "Revista Española del Pacífico. Núm. 10, Año 1999". Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Estatus arquitectónico". www.mural.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Jorge Loyzaga". INTBAU. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Loyzaga Design - Institute of Classical Architecture & Art". www.classicist.org. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Lorduy-Osés, Lucas. "El mecenazgo mexicano en la recuperación del patrimonio artístico español. La familia Garza-Sada/Fernández-Zambrano". ResearchGate. Santander Estudios de Patrimonio. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Mauricio Fernández nos abre La Milarca". Quién (in Spanish). 2 March 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  10. ^ Mendieta, Eduardo (7 July 2022). "Techo de mudéjar, de Mauricio Fernández, llega a la Milarca". Grupo Milenio (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  11. ^ Alvarado, Luza (10 September 2019). "Centro Cultural Juan Beckmann Gallardo, una razón más para visitar Tequila". México Desconocido (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  12. ^ "How These Mexican Designers Are Continuing a Legacy of Craftsmanship". House Beautiful. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  13. ^ a b Loos, Ted (22 November 2023). "Spanish Cathedrals and French Châteaux Inspire the Work of Mexican Architect Jorge Loyzaga". 1stDibs Introspective. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  14. ^ a b "In Your Neighborhood: Two Homes in Acapulco, Mexico, with Sophia Loyzaga". Retrieved 15 October 2023.