In a city known for its rich architectural contrasts – from Aztec ruins to colonial cathedrals and contemporary skyscrapers – there’s one building that continues to spark heated debate: the Pyramid Center, often labeled “the ugliest building in Mexico City.”

The Pyramid Center has been a fixture of the local skyline since the 1980s. With its seven-tiered, glass-covered, pyramid-like form and bold use of iridescent blue and purple-tinted glass, it’s impossible to ignore—and equally impossible to categorize.

Designed with ambition, judged with controversy

The Pyramid Center was designed by Ibáñez Gill, a little-known architect about whom almost nothing else is publicly documented.

This building appears to be his only known work, which makes its notoriety all the more unique. Its stepped form echoes a modern interpretation of ancient pyramids, but its execution has polarized opinions for decades.

Critics point to its disproportionate shape, exposed rooftop water tanks, and aging façade as reasons for its poor reception.

In fact, in informal Twitter polls from 2020 and 2021, users voted it the “ugliest building in Mexico City.” Its image routinely resurfaces on social media where it is called “dirty,” “abandoned,” “sad,” and even “a scar on the cityscape.”

Yet, others see it differently—as a curious relic of a past architectural ambition that dared to stand out.

A pyramid with recycled glass

One of the building’s most interesting features is its glass façade, which has a mysterious past of its own. According to entrepreneur Marietto Ponce, the glass panels were originally part of the Hotel de México, now the World Trade Center (WTC) in Mexico City.

The materials were reused during the construction of the Pyramid Center—an uncommon practice in the era, and a rare case of architectural recycling in the capital’s building history.

Not abandoned – just misunderstood

Despite its grim reputation online, the Pyramid Center is not abandoned. It remains an active office building, home to a range of small businesses: automotive workshops, business consultancies, tech component shops, a gardening store, and even a psychological counseling office.

A directory once proudly listed tenants at the building’s entrance – today, that signage lies dusty and broken, a ghost of the building’s former ambitions. Its rooftop water tanks may be unsightly to some, but they still serve their original purpose.

The building is fully functional, even if its former website has long since gone offline and its digital presence is virtually nonexistent.

CDMX’s urban jungle: a city of contradictions

Mexico City’s architecture is a kaleidoscope of eras and styles: from the Aztec Templo Mayor and Colonial cathedrals, to the Torre Reforma. In this landscape, the Pyramid Center stands out as a rare example of 1980s speculative design.

Some say it’s an eyesore. Others call it a misunderstood icon. Whether you see beauty in its boldness or horror in its form, the Pyramid Center in CDMX remains one of the most recognizable and most debated buildings in Mexico City.