Sumesa headquarters: the introduction of supermarkets in Mexico
An expanding supermarket chain, a programmatic need and the presence of a recognized architect, are the pillars of this history that reminds us that commercial architecture takes up "the same principles of Pompeyan architecture: living towards the interior."
Surely for many of our readers the word Sumesa is unknown, however this self-service company was one of the most important in Mexico, especially during the second half of the twentieth century. Several sources even indicate that it was the first store of its kind in the country, with a branch located in the Colony Rome, opened on March 9, 1945. Although there are discrepancies around the date and place where it was located, what is certain is that a short time later, Supermercados S.A. it would become one of the largest and most prosperous chains in the country, commanded by entrepreneur Regiomontano Jaime Garza, also owner of Banco Mercantil de Monterrey and the Yom-Yom Ice Creams.
Unsurprisingly, the first supermarket in Mexico was of Regiomontano origin, as this new store format came to the country across the border, more permeable to American influence. The basic idea was that the customer could choose for themselves and review the inventory products, which would be placed in an attractive and convenient manner, and then go through a review and payment station where the items would be billed, packaged and Accommodated. All the products necessary for everyday subsistence would be under one roof and buyers could choose and compare them. It seems easy, but this brought with it a strong change in the consumption habits of Mexican society.
By the 1960s, the chain had grown with about 40 stores, had a shopping center south of the city and handled wholesale and sale to other retailers. The general wineries that supplied the items to the various stores in the capital were located in the Vallejo industrial area located in the eastern part of the Azcapotzalco Delegation, which had been officially lay out in 1944 with a decree issued by President Manuel Avila Camacho. Because of this, it is not surprising that the owners of Sumesa decided to set up their general offices right there at the time when their company was in full swing.
The architect chosen to carry out the construction was Vladimir Kaspé, Chinese of Russian origin and nationalized Mexican who studied at the School of Beaux Arts in Paris. There he met the architect Mario Pani, who invited him to work in Mexico so he came to our country in 1942 and by 1946 was already officially Mexican. For connoisseurs of the time, at the time of building these offices, Kaspé was free of doctrines, acting within "a current with authority, without academisms, with the conscience of an architect who has matured".
The challenges of building an office building within an industrial zone were large, especially since it was an open place exposed to dust and materials that came from the industrial facilities in the area, besides that it had to be taken in counts the land partially occupied by the significant volume of the warehouse. It was therefore decided that the construction would be "inward" through a central courtyard in which all the services contained in the building converged. The circulation around the courtyard would be done through porches for which the architect relied, in his own words, on "the same principles of Pompeyan architecture: living inward."
Thus, a building of two floors was built of which, the ground floor was occupied to distribute the offices with the greatest influx of people, as well as the common services that shared the area of the cellars and the office area, such as kitchen, dining room, toilets Etc. Executive offices were located on the upper floor and, unlike the headquarters, which looked towards the central courtyard, they again poured themselves and had spaces specially designed for the tasks that were required as rooms of joints and product testing.
The office body was located in such a way as to establish a close relationship with the warehouses and at the same time functioned as the longitudinal axis at the entrance of the warehouses. It also served as the basis of the composition and spine that allowed for greater clarity in the operation of the set. For the interior facades, floor-to-ceiling windows were used that allowed direct contact with the courtyard to achieve the objective of the activity turned inwards and the exterior facades obeyed mostly the orientation.
Although the company invested in the construction of its warehouses, offices and branches at the time of its heyday, the reality is that shortly afterwards the difficulties would come. First it merged with the Central de Mercados (cemerca) which also had a self-service store called Superama and then, both already merged, would become part of an even larger consortium: Comercial Mexicana. From there, in 1981, the company went down. While they would last a few more years, the massive closure of stores began at the end of this decade. Of the 70 there at some point, there are now only eleven left, which will disappear before 2020. However, the decision to have summoned Kaspé to carry out the construction of this work will always be struck.
by Paulina Martínez Figueroa