Ricardo Legorreta
Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis (May 7, 1931 – December 30, 2011) was a Mexican architect. He was a prolific designer of private houses, public buildings and master plans in Mexico, the United States and some other countries. He was awarded the prestigious UIA Gold Medal in 1999, the AIA Gold Medal in 2000, and the Praemium Imperiale in 2011.
Also recorded as Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis · Ricardo Vilchis Legorreta
Ricardo Legorreta

Public domain
- Name
- Ricardo Legorreta
- Birth Name
- Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis
- Born
- 7 May 1931
- Birthplace
- Mexico City
- Died
- 30 December 2011
- Education
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
- Nationality
- Mexico.
- Occupation
- architect and university teacher.
- Movements
- postmodern architecture.
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Documentary summary
Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis (May 7, 1931 – December 30, 2011) was a Mexican architect. He was a prolific designer of private houses, public buildings and master plans in Mexico, the United States and some other countries. He was awarded the prestigious UIA Gold Medal in 1999, the AIA Gold Medal in 2000, and the Praemium Imperiale in 2011.
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Note VALÉORINE
Ricardo Legorreta (1931–2011) was a Mexican architect and university teacher. The architect was born and died in Mexico City.
Ricardo Legorreta studied at National Autonomous University of Mexico. The architect worked for Harvard University, National Autonomous University of Mexico and University of California, Los Angeles, among others and was a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Ricardo Legorreta was associated with postmodern architecture.
Languages used include Spanish. The architect received National Prize for Arts and Sciences and Praemium Imperiale.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Ricardo Legorreta • Birth Name — Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis • Born — 7 May 1931 • Birthplace — Mexico City • Died — 30 December 2011 • Education — Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México • Significant Design — Landscaping and brightly colored Cubist designs
Life and career
Life and career
Ricardo Legorreta was born on May 7, 1931, in Mexico City. He studied architecture at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, where he graduated in 1953. After working for ten years with José Villagrán García, he established his own office in 1963. Legorreta had a connection to Jeffrey Epstein.
Architectural expression
Architectural expression
Legorreta was a disciple of Luis Barragán and carried Barragan's ideas to a wider realm. Barragan, in the 1940s and 1950s amalgamated tradition and the modern movement in architecture yet his work is mostly limited to domestic architecture. Legorreta applied elements of Barragan's architecture in his work including bright colors, play of light and shadow, and solid Platonic geometric shapes. One of the important contributions of Legorreta has been the use of these elements in other building types such as hotels, factories as well as in commercial and educational buildings. His most famous works are the Camino Real Hotel in Mexico City, the IBM Factory in Guadalajara and the Cathedral of Managua.
Works
Works
• Illustration — Fountain in Pershing Square, Los Angeles • Illustration — San Antonio Public Library, Texas, 1995 • Illustration — Torre BBVA Bancomer on Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City, currently the 3rd tallest building in Mexico
In Mexico City
In Mexico City
• 1964, Laboratorios Smith Kline & French, collaboration with Mathias Goeritz, today the Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Distrito Federal, Av. Universidad 1449 • 1967, Cedros International School and Universidad Panamericana Preparatoria, Tecoyotitla 364 y 366, Chimalistac, San Ángel • 1967, Casa Lomas Altas • 1968, Camino Real hotel, Colonia Anzures • 1968, Offices of Celanese Mexicana, now SEMARNAT, Av. Revolución 1425, Tlacopac, San Ángel • 1972, Restoration of the Palace of Iturbide, Historic Center • 1976, Seguros América offices, today Tribunal Federal de Justicia, Av. Revolución 1508, San Ángel • 1985, Kodak factory in Xochimilco • 1993, Restoration of the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, UNAM. Justo Sierra street #16, Historic Center • 1993, Papalote Museo del Niño, Bosque de Chapultepec 2nd Section • 1994, Restoration of the Club de Banqueros, Av. 16 de Septiembre 27, Historic Center • 1994, Remodel of the Chapultepec Zoo • 1994, Centro Nacional de las Artes master plan, Edificio de Administración e Investigación, Edificio Central and Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas La Esmeralda • 1998, Televisa Santa Fe • 2001, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Santa Fe • 2005, Plaza Juárez including the Museum of Memory and Tolerance and Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (Plaza Juárez tower) • 2010, Torre BBVA Bancomer, in collaboration with Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners of London. Paseo de la Reforma at Lieja street. • 2010, División de Estudios de Posgrado y Especializaciones en Economía, UNAM. Centro Cultural Universitario
Other cities in Mexico
Other cities in Mexico
• 1967, Chrysler factory in Toluca • 1967 Nissan Cuernavaca Plant • 1970, IBM Guadalajara Technology Campus, Guadalajara • 1975, Hotel Camino Real, Cancún, now Hyatt Ziva Cancun • 1981, Hotel Camino Real, today Westin Brisas, Ixtapa • 1985, Renault factory en Gómez Palacio, Durango • 1989, Plan Maestro para Huatulco, Huatulco • 1990, Hotel Las Brisas, Huatulco • 1991, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey • 2001, EGADE Escuela de Graduados en Administración y Dirección de Empresas del ITESM in Monterrey • 2005, Casa Legorreta residence, San Miguel de Allende • 2007, EGAP Escuela de Graduados en Administración Pública y Política Pública del ITESM in Monterrey • 2007, Hotel La Purificadora, 2006 Puebla City • 2007, Hotel Casa Reyna, Privada 2 Oriente 1007, Puebla City • 2007, Hotel Camino Real Monterrey • 2008, Museo Interactivo Laberinto de las Ciencias y las Artes, San Luis Potosí • 2008, The Tides, Playa del Carmen Riviera Maya • 2011, Centro Médico Zambrano Hellion of the ITESM in Monterrey
United States
United States
• 1983–1985, Casa Montalbán, in Los Angeles • 1985, buildings at Solana Complex in Southlake near Dallas • 1988, Tustin Market Place, Tustin, California • 1990, Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose • 1994, Pershing Square restoration, Los Angeles • 1995, San Antonio Public Library • 1995, South Chula Vista branch library, Chula Vista, San Diego, California • 1998, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research building, Emeryville, California • 1998, The Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose • 1998, The UCLA Tom Bradley International Hall Gallery and Conference Center, Los Angeles • 1999, Santa Fe University of Art and Design Visual Arts Center, 1999, Santa Fe • 2001, Max Palevsky Residential Commons (Chicago) • 2003, Latino Cultural Center Dallas • 2003, Keller Estate Winery, Petaluma, California • 2005, Bakar Fitness & Recreation Center at UCSF Mission Bay, San Francisco • 2015, Cross Border Xpress terminal and bridge in Otay Mesa, San Diego, connecting to Tijuana International Airport
Central America
Central America
• Illustration — Centro Comercial Multiplaza Panamericana in San Salvador, El Salvador, 2005. • Illustration — New Cathedral of Managua, Nicaragua • 1993, Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, (Managua, Nicaragua) • 2004, Multiplaza Panamericana (San Salvador, El Salvador) • 2005, Centro Comercial Multiplaza Panamericana, in Antiguo Cuscatlan, El Salvador • 2005, New campus of the Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios, ESEN, Santa Tecla, El Salvador • 2007–2009, Casa Margarita, Guatemala City • 2012–2014, Terra Esperanza, Guatemala City
Other countries
Other countries
• 2000, Mexico pavilion at Expo 2000 Hannover • 2003, Fashion and Textile Museum, (Bermondsey, London, United Kingdom) • 2004, Houses in Las Águilas, Madrid, Spain • 2005, Hotel Sheraton Bilbao, Bilbao, Spain • 2007, Texas A&M University at Qatar, (Education City, Doha, Qatar) • 2008, Carnegie Mellon University (Qatar), (Education City, Doha, Qatar) • 2008, Campus Center and Student Residential Village, the American University in Cairo, Cairo) • 2009, Casa Del Agua Hotel, 2009 (Jeju-do, South Korea) • 2010, Davidka Square, 2010 (Jerusalem, Israel) *
Other Recognition
Other Recognition
In 2000, Legoretta received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. In 2002, Legoretta received the Order of Isabella the Catholic granted by the government of Spain.
Career and activity
Career and activity
His work is associated with postmodern architecture. He was employed by Harvard University, University of California, Los Angeles, National Autonomous University of Mexico and University of Texas at Austin. He belonged to American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Identity
Identity
Ricardo Legorreta is recorded as architect and university teacher. Recognition and collections. Legorreta received National Prize for Arts and Sciences and Praemium Imperiale.

Museum of Contemporary Art in Monterrey N.L. México (MARCO Museum) built by Ricardo Legorreta in 1991.
Limbo@MX C · fotografía tomada por / photo taken by Limbo@MX C

Museum Maze of Science and Arts in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Felipe Alfonso Castillo
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1931–2011
The full dated record · 11 entries
1931
Ricardo Legorreta born at Mexico City.
1991
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey is dated 1991.
1993
Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Managua is dated 1993.
1993
Papalote Museo del Niño is dated 1993.
1994
Biblioteca Raúl Rangel Frías is dated 1994.
2003
Fashion and Textile Museum is dated 2003.
2004
Hotel Meliá Bilbao is dated 2004.
2004
Parque Europa is dated 2004.
2005
Edificio Tlatelolco is dated 2005.
2010
Torre El Pedregal is dated 2010.
2011
Ricardo Legorreta died at Mexico City.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.El Universal: Hijo de Legorreta afirma que murió tranquilo, 30 December 2011 (Spanish)
- 2.UIA homepage: Laureates
- 3.UIA: 1999 Gold Medalist Jury Citation , retrieved 31 December 2011
- 4.Prince's accuser was taken on seven day tour in Epstein’s jet. The Times. January 7, 2015.
- 5.CasaReyna.
- 6.Hotel Camino Real Monterrey.
- 7.Chiron Life Sciences Center. www.tutorperini.com.
- 8.Tom Bradley Legacy Foundation at UCLA: Tom Bradley Gallery at UCLA International Center. www.tombradleylegacy.org.
- 9.American Academy of Achievement. Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement. www.achievement.org.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 3
- Mutlow, John. Legorreta. Rizzoli. 1997. 0-8478-2023-8.
- Legorreta, Ricardo. Legorreta + Legorreta. Rizzoli. 2004. 0-8478-2598-1.
- Legorreta, Ricardo. Legorreta: Arquitectura / Architecture 2003-2010. Area Editores. 2010. 978-607-8115-00-6.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q732502: Ricardo LegorretaWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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