location

Calle Chapo Márquez 133 Colonia Federal, Tijuana BC, México. CP 22310. TEL. 011 52 (664) 682-9570 La Casa del Túnel: Art Center (The House of the Tunnel) is located in a neighborhood of Tijuana called "Colonia Federal," a place where within the last five years artists of all disciplines have congregated to live and work. "Colonia Federal" is has special characteristics. Originally, this area was created to build housing for employees of the Mexican Federal Customs Office. Due to the demands of the job, the government decided to give these employees an opportunity to build residences near their workplace. A great part of this neighborhood was used to expand the customs facility.
 
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 history

During the 1960's, the government channeled the Tijuana river and built the highway to downtown leaving only eight blocks of houses and a population of approximately 500 people that are practically isolated from the rest of the City by the river, the U.S. border, a shopping district called "Plaza Viva Tijuana", and the rapid transit highway which connects with downtown. This makes "Colonia Federal" a space where people live calmly and relatively safe. There is only one entrance and one exit to this "colonia", which contributes to the fact that this area still has a provincial Mexican flavor.

The building where La Casa del Túnel: Art Center is located was built in the1950's by Gabriel Moreno Lozano, a lawyer, Renaissance man and legendary figure of the City of Tijuana. In later years, a tenant of the building, without knowledge of the owner, dug a tunnel (approximately 150 ft.) under the house across the border to a parking lot in the US and engaged in illegal activities. On July 8, 2004 the tunnel was discovered and all parties responsible were caught, arrested and imprisoned. Today, after three years of litigation, the owners, heirs of Moreno Lozano, liberated the building and decided to provide the space to COFAC for the establishment of an international center for the arts. In this way, they honor the life and memory of Gabriel Moreno Lozano, who was a lover of the arts.

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 today

La Casa del Túnel: Art Center is now a place for culture, community and the environment. The Center will feature gallery space for art exhibitions and projects, office, art materials store, and presentation space for music and spoken word. The building will also include an international artist-in-residency program with studios for visiting artists, writers and other creative people, and a rooftop border observation deck and cafe. The area around the building and adjacent property will be transformed into a green laboratory and gardens.

Thumbnail Gallery: Click for enlargments

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 goals and programs

The goals of La Casa del Túnel: Art Center are to create a new model at the US/Mexico Border region for sustainable cultural development, and to help restore the environmental viability of the border region in Tijuana with full participation from all stakeholders.

Our programs will focus on Visual Arts, Architecture, Design, Literature & Spoken Word, Music, Performance Art, Electronic Arts, Artist Residency, Cuisine, Environment, Sustainability, Art Gardening & Farming, Public Art, Community Improvement and Involvement, and Economic Development. La Casa Del Túnel: Art Center will offer volunteer senior and youth programs to the people of "Colonia Federal" and the Tijuana/San Diego area.

La Casa del Túnel: Art Center is a place where people from the U.S. interested in the artistic activities of Tijuana can converge, leaving their automobiles on the other side of the border, walk the equivalent of a couple of blocks, and arrive in the center of the neighborhood. In Tijuana a great number of bus lines and taxis have their final destination at the international border crossing and Customs Office located in the neighborhood. Local people can easily access "Colonia Federal".

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 directions

If you are walking
"Colonia Federal" is a neighborhood at the border. If you are coming from the USA on Highway #805 or #5, take the last exit before Mexico, "Camino de la Plaza." Go past the first light and park in the UETA parking lot. Once in the lot, after exiting your car, face south and you will see the border fence and on the other side a building with a sign that reads "EL ARTE TUMBARA ESTE MURO," "ART WILL KNOCK THIS WALL DOWN." That site is La Casa del Túnel: Art Center. Walk to the left end of the lot until you see a revolving steel door. Go in and you will see a long mural to your right, at the end of the mural, turn right to another revolving door and you are in Mexico. Turn right again and walk three blocks on Padilla St. and you will be on Calle Miguel Mendoza, in front of a wall on a side street called "Avenida Internacional." Turn left, go one block to #133 Chapo Márquez "La Casa del Túnel: Art Center" looks like the bow of a ship. The phone # is 682-9570. If you are calling from the US dial 011-52-(664) 682-9570 first. You can call the American cellular (323) 574-9197 when near the border or in Tijuana.

If you are driving
If you are driving to 'La Casa del Túnel": When you enter Mexico, take the right lane and follow the sign HOTEL PUEBLO AMIGO, after that there is another sign with 3 different directions: PASEO CENTENARIO with an arrow to the left, COL. FEDERAL with an arrow to the right and SAN DIEGO with an arrow to the left. Take COL. FEDERAL to the right, about 150 ft.; you will be in a roundabout, keep straight to COL. FEDERAL. After the roundabout the name of the street is CALLE DE LA AMISTAD, keep going straight and you will pass CALLE PASTOR RAMOS and CALLE ANGULO. The third street is MIGUEL MENDOZA and you will be in front of a wall with a side street called Avenida Internacional, turn left and in one block you will be at 133 Chapo Márquez La Casa del Túnel: Art Center which looks like the bow of a ship. Our phone # is 682-9570. If you are in the USA, dial 011-52-664 first. You can call the US cellular (323) 574-9197.

Via public transit
You can take the blue trolley line to the border. If you are coming from east San Diego you can take the orange line to downtown and transfer. If you are coming from the north there are several buses that connect with the blue line (the #41 at Fashion Valley, the #34 at Old Town) Go to www.sdcommute.com for an easy-to-use directory of public transit in the San Diego region that takes you to the border.

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