Monumento a la Revolucion,(Revolution Monument) Mexico City, Mexico "A Mexico National Treasure"
When the local government of Mexico City started the restoration project of the 100 year old monument they knew restoring the rain leader drains was going to be a challenge. They called on the leader in the pipelining industry to help fix the problem. US Sewer & Drain
There were twelve area drains in all. Four inch in diameter drains that were located around the top circular portion of the monument more than ten stories high. These area drains were positioned on a ledge that was only three feet wide. Not a safe working environment to say the least. After televising each drain it would seem that each pipe had multiple turns in the pipe before it dropped to the ground level. One hundred and thirty feet from top to bottom. The four inch diameter cast iron also had channel rot. The pipe was virtually gone from the 4 o’clock to 7 o’clock position. Badly damaged pipe, long length, high up, limited working space, hot and dusty working conditions. Sure! No Problem! US Sewer was up for the challenge.
Once the US Sewer & Drain team arrived on site they quickly evaluated the critical working conditions. SAFETY was the first priority. Well secured safety harness, hard hats, safety goggles were a must. Some drains appeared to have easier access than others but most would require extreme caution for the men.
The challenge would not only be the mobilization of the equipment but figuring out a way to mix the resins and apply them to the 120 foot lengths of lining material with very limited work space. Not to mention the fact that the temperature was more than 90 degree’s. This would give the crew very limited working time to mix the resins and install the liner before it would harden. The guys would need to work quickly.
After more than one week on the job. Taking every safety persuasion and devising a well executed instillation procedure the US Sewer & Drain crew successfully rehabilitated all twelve drain lines. A local film crew documented the instillation as part of a documentary on the rehabilitation of the monument. A local news channel also aired some footage of the US Sewer & Drain crew in action. Great job guys! Congratulations to the crew lead of the job Shaun Marseglia and Mario Bianchi .
History of the Monument: The Monument to the Revolution was constructed using part of the structure that was previously destined to be the Legislative Palace. This last building was promoted by President Porfirio Díaz and his government, which in 1897, emitted an international call for the making of this project: the future seat of the House of Representatives. Outstanding architects of the time participated in this competition, one of them being Adamo Boari, who would later build the Mail Palace and the Palace of Fine Arts. After a very unclear and troublesome selection process, the project was handed over to the French architect Emile Bernard. The first stone of this building was placed on September 23rd 1910 by the president himself. After a remarkable progress in the building’s steel structure, the construction of the Legislative Palace was suspended because of a lack of resources consequence of the revolutionary struggles.
The structure of what was to become one of the most sumptuous buildings in the city remained unused for several years; because of this, the structure started to be dismantled and the complete demolition of the building became a real possibility. To stop this, the Mexican architect Carlos Obregón Santacilia proposed to the Secretary of Inland Revenue, Alberto J. Pani, to make the best of this structure (the cupola of the Legislative Palace) and erect a monument to the freshly concluded Mexican Revolution. The proposal was accepted and its construction took place between 1933 and 1938.
This monument stands out by its massiveness and geometric shape that take us back to prehispanic architecture; nevertheless it’s also a faithful representative of one of the architectonic styles of the time: Art Deco, which becomes present in the sculptural groups perched on the copper cupola of the monument, which were created by the artist Oliverio Martínez and represent: the Independence, the Reformation Laws, the Agrarian Laws and the Worker Laws. Other elements with a clear Art Deco influence are the lamps which hang to the sides of the monument.
Years after its completion, this monument was also turned into a mausoleum which houses the remains of some of the main protagonists of the Mexican Revolution: Francisco I. Madero, Venustiano Carranza, Francisco Villa, Plutarco Elías Cales and Lázaro Cárdenas. Also, since 1986, this monument’s basement houses the Revolutionary Museum.
Today, in the museum and the great open space which surrounds it (Plaza of the Republic), several cultural activities take place, of which the Tecnogeist stands out, one of the most important festivals of electronic music and multimedia art in the American continent.
