Alejandro Zohn Rosenthal (born Alexander Zohn; 8 August 1930 – 4 August 4 2000) was a Mexican

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

of Austrian-Jewish origin. His works are renowned for the contributions to modern architecture in Mexico, particularly in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

where his works such as the

San Juan de Dios Market Mercado Libertad, better known as Mercado San Juan de Dios (San Juan de Dios Market) is located in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. It is the largest indoor market in Latin America with an area of . Description and history Most vendors ...

have left a lasting impact on Mexico's modernist architecture.

Early life and education

Zohn was born in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria, to Haica Rosenthal Eisenstein, a pharmaceutical chemist and professor, and Jakob Hersch Zohn Wurn, an accountant and businessman. Following Austria's annexation by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, his family fled to Mexico in 1939 after his father's release from the

Dachau concentration camp Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...

. They settled in San Pedro Tlaquepaque,

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

. He completed his primary and secondary education at Colegio Cervantes in

before enrolling in the

University of Guadalajara The University of Guadalajara () is a public university, public research university located in Guadalajara, Mexico. It was originally established in 1586 and officially founded on 12 February 1791 as the Royal and Pontifical University of Gu ...

's Faculty of Engineering. Drawn by his interest in

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

, aesthetics, and design, he transferred to the School of Architecture in 1950. He earned his civil engineering degree in 1955 with a thesis on the Mercado Libertad, and later obtained his architecture degree in 1962 with the thesis “The Architecture of Reinforced Concrete.”

Career

Zohn began teaching at the

in 1956, but resigned in 1963 following student protests over his rigorous academic approach. He maintained strong ties with the university throughout his life. In addition to his teaching career, he co-founded Arquitac (Arquitectura, Asociación Civil) in 1961, and later conducted extensive research on affordable housing solutions across various cities in Mexico. His contributions earned him a position as an honorary member of the Academia Nacional de Arquitectura in 1980 and membership in Mexico's Sistema Nacional de Creadores Artísticos in 1994. Zohn also lectured internationally, with engagements in the U.S., Colombia, Chile, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. In 2000, his work was featured in a retrospective exhibition at the Instituto Cultural Cabañas.

Architectural works

Some of Zohn's most notable architectural projects include: * Mercado Libertad (San Juan de Dios Market), Guadalajara (1953–1958) * Auditorio Municipal de Guadalajara (1957) * Unidad Deportiva La Federacha, Guadalajara (1967) * Plaza del Sol, Guadalajara (1969) * Unidad Habitacional Culhuacán, Mexico City (1975–1977) * Remodelación del Centro Cultural El Refugio, San Pedro Tlaquepaque (1984) * Mexican Heritage Center and Gardens, San José, California (1995)

Awards and honors

Zohn received numerous awards and recognitions, including: * Premio Jalisco for the Mercado Libertad project (1957) * Gran Premio de la IV Bienal in Sofia, Bulgaria (1991) * Honoris Causa from the Colegio de Arquitectos de Jalisco (1991) * Homenaje ARPA-FIL at the Guadalajara International Book Fair (1999) * Premio Jalisco from the state government (2000) * In 2007, Mercado Libertad was declared a National Artistic Monument

Personal life

Zohn married Celia Muldoon in 1960 and obtained Mexican citizenship in 1975. He passed away on August 4, 2000, in Guadalajara, where he was laid to rest at the Recinto de la Paz.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zohn, Alejandro Jewish architects Austrian emigrants to Mexico Mexican Jews Austrian Jews Artists from Guadalajara, Jalisco People from Guadalajara, Jalisco Artists from Vienna 1930 births 2000 deaths Mexican people of Austrian-Jewish descent Austrian people of Jewish descent 20th-century Mexican architects University of Guadalajara alumni