Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Avenida Presidente Masaryk

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Major cities
  
Mexico City

Avenida Presidente Masaryk

Location
  
Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo Mexico City, Mexico

East
  
Calzada General Mariano Escobedo

West
  
Avenida Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca

Similar
  
Chapultepec, Antara Polanco, Museo Soumaya, Chapultepec Castle, Centro Santa Fe

Avenida presidente masaryk


Avenida Presidente Masaryk, a thoroughfare in the affluent Polanco neighborhood of Mexico City, is the city's most fashionable urban shopping street. It is also home of the National Conservatory of Music. It runs from Calzada General Mariano Escobedo in the east to Avenida Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca on the west.

Contents

Map of Av. Pdte. Masaryk, Polanco, Ciudad de M%C3%A9xico, CDMX, Mexico

Avenida presidente masaryk


History

President Lázaro Cárdenas named the avenue after the first President of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk in 1936. In 1999 the city of Prague donated a statue of Masaryk to Mexico City, one of the two originals made when the statue for the Prague Castle was being prepared. The statue was placed in the roundabout at the intersection of Av. Presidente Masaryk and Arquímedes on 28 October 2000, on the Czechoslovak National Day.

The name of the street is often misspelled e.g. "Mazarik" or "Mazaryk". The City of Mexico decided to correct the signs under its control in 2000 (street, highway and other signs), but the incorrect names remained on some of the local shops.

In 2013 Seduvi, the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing of the Federal District, decided to invest 480 million pesos for the urban renewal of the street, with an emphasis on making it more walkable. Half of this budget will be contributed by the government, with the rest coming from the private sector and a tax being levied on the residents and businesses who will benefit from the rehabilitation.

The project was a complete overhaul of infrastructure, it included: granite sidewalks, hydraulic concrete, landscaping (including the replacement of unhealthy trees), new benches and bike racks, energy efficient light posts, replacement of aging water supply and drainage systems, and the replacement of overhead electricity/telephone cables with an underground system. The rehabilitation, which was completed in phases, started on January 2014 and was expected to last 18 months. The avenue was officially reinaugurated on 8 and 9 August 2015 with a cultural event that included a performance by Kalimba, a marathon and group yoga, among other activities.

Exclusive shopping street

Masaryk, as it is commonly called, is also one of the most expensive shopping districts in the world and competes with Avenida Madero in the Historic Center for the title of street with the highest rents in the city.

It now faces competition from upscale shopping centers such as Centro Santa Fe, Arcos Lomas and Paseo Interlomas. Despite this competition and a tepid economy (which has led to a moderate drop in rent prices), Avenida Presidente Masaryk is still considered the standard for shopping in Mexico City.

References

Avenida Presidente Masaryk Wikipedia