Avenida Presidente Masaryk
 |
|
| Location |
Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo Mexico City, Mexico |
|---|---|
| East | Calzada General Mariano Escobedo |
| West | Avenida Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca |
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.
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.
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