Tijuana Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz signed an agreement on Friday with the head of Mexico’s national postal service to rehabilitate the city’s historic Correos de México building in the Zona Centro.
The deal, formalized at the Palacio Postal in Mexico City, pairs the Tijuana city government with Servicio Postal Mexicano (Sepomex) Director General Violeta Abreu González. The collaboration calls for a full restoration of the landmark post office at Avenida Negrete and Calle 11, which first opened on November 20, 1957.
A Modernist Landmark With Over Six Decades of History
The Correos de México building was constructed in the International Modernist style with functionalist influences. For decades it served as a key hub for mail and telegraph communications along the border. The Tijuana city government has officially designated it a building of heritage value.
In recent years, email and digital communications left the post office largely underused. Preservation advocates in Tijuana have long pushed for the building’s protection, and a previous proposal under former Baja California Governor Jaime Bonilla explored converting it into a library and cultural center.
Dual Purpose: Postal Service and Cultural Venue
Under the new agreement, the restored building will serve a dual purpose. It will continue operating as a postal facility while also expanding the city’s cultural offerings in the downtown core. Burgueño Ruiz said the rehabilitation fits within President Claudia Sheinbaum’s national plan to modernize Mexico’s postal infrastructure while preserving its historical character.
Abreu González said the restoration would benefit Tijuana residents directly by bringing the 68-year-old building up to current standards without erasing its original design. The agreement includes provisions to preserve the structure’s architectural heritage.
No Timeline or Budget Announced
Neither the mayor nor Sepomex disclosed a budget, construction timeline, or specific scope of work for the restoration. The announcement did not detail how the cultural space would be programmed or which city agency would manage it.
The post office sits in the heart of Tijuana’s Zona Centro, a few blocks south of the pedestrian border crossing at El Chaparral. The area has seen a mix of new development and neglect in recent years, and the building’s rehabilitation could anchor broader revitalization efforts in the district.
Originally reported by Jornada BC and Tijuana en Línea.