New SpaceDecember 18, 2020
New Building of the Museum of Latin American Art - MOLAA
The TEN (Enrique Norten Arquitectos Workshop) was recently selected in an international competition to build the new building of the Museum of Latin American Art - MOLAA, in Long Beach, California.
Enrique Norten has already participated in constructing this type of entity in different parts of the world, so he is very excited about this new project. In an interview with the newspaper Milenio, he commented that his wish is to “contribute to the architecture of Los Angeles. Norten is a benchmark in architecture and urban planning worldwide. Carrying out a work of this prestige in a city like Los Angeles is extremely important for us.”
The current building that houses MOLAA was the Balboa Amusement Producing Company (film studio) and was renovated to become the MOLAA Balboa Events Center. MOLAA’s exhibition galleries, administrative offices, and store are located in what was once a roller skating rink known as the Hippodrome. Built in the late 1920s, after the movie studios disappeared, the Hippodrome was a haven for skaters for four decades. The building then served as a health center for the elderly for fifteen years. The high vaulted ceilings and beautiful wooden floors were perfectly suited for the Hippodrome’s final metamorphosis into the Museum of Latin American Art.
The new project raises the recovery of old structures that housed the studies and, around them, build the new museum. A defined number of departments, shops, and services is also being included. It will be like a small campus that can make this museum sustainable.
Enrique Norten is the founder and director of TEN Arquitectos (Taller de Enrique Norten Arquitectos) in Mexico City, New York, and Miami. Born in Mexico City, he graduated from the Universidad Iberoamericana in 1978 with a degree in Architecture, and in 1980 he obtained a Master’s Degree in Architecture from Cornell University. In 1986 he founded TEN Arquitectos, initiating a commitment to creating and researching architecture, urbanism, and design. He has deserved recognitions such as the Legacy Award from the Smithsonian Latino Center and the Leonardo da Vinci World Award from the World Cultural Council, in 2018 he received the Fine Arts Medal from the Ministry of Culture and the recognition of “Distinguished Mexican” from the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior de la Presidencia de la República.
Enrique Norten has already participated in constructing this type of entity in different parts of the world, so he is very excited about this new project. In an interview with the newspaper Milenio, he commented that his wish is to “contribute to the architecture of Los Angeles. Norten is a benchmark in architecture and urban planning worldwide. Carrying out a work of this prestige in a city like Los Angeles is extremely important for us.”
The current building that houses MOLAA was the Balboa Amusement Producing Company (film studio) and was renovated to become the MOLAA Balboa Events Center. MOLAA’s exhibition galleries, administrative offices, and store are located in what was once a roller skating rink known as the Hippodrome. Built in the late 1920s, after the movie studios disappeared, the Hippodrome was a haven for skaters for four decades. The building then served as a health center for the elderly for fifteen years. The high vaulted ceilings and beautiful wooden floors were perfectly suited for the Hippodrome’s final metamorphosis into the Museum of Latin American Art.
The new project raises the recovery of old structures that housed the studies and, around them, build the new museum. A defined number of departments, shops, and services is also being included. It will be like a small campus that can make this museum sustainable.
Enrique Norten is the founder and director of TEN Arquitectos (Taller de Enrique Norten Arquitectos) in Mexico City, New York, and Miami. Born in Mexico City, he graduated from the Universidad Iberoamericana in 1978 with a degree in Architecture, and in 1980 he obtained a Master’s Degree in Architecture from Cornell University. In 1986 he founded TEN Arquitectos, initiating a commitment to creating and researching architecture, urbanism, and design. He has deserved recognitions such as the Legacy Award from the Smithsonian Latino Center and the Leonardo da Vinci World Award from the World Cultural Council, in 2018 he received the Fine Arts Medal from the Ministry of Culture and the recognition of “Distinguished Mexican” from the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior de la Presidencia de la República.
