Casa Cranfill is a classic Porfirian town house in the heart of Mexico City’s most trendy section, the Colonia Roma.  The house was built in 1922 and lovingly restored by the world renowned Shakespearean scholar Professor Thomas Mabry Cranfill of Austin, Texas, in 1968.  Dr. Cranfill used the property as a base to write his important two volume book on contemporary Mexican art of the sixties, Images of Mexico.  The present owner since 1992, John Harvey Williams, also originally from Austin, recently restored the building once again taking special care to maintain the historical integrity of the structure as well as the artistic milieu so important to Dr. Cranfill.  The mission of Casa Cranfill is to provide an aesthetically inspiring environment for discriminating visitors to Mexico City who are interested in exploring the cultural richness of the city and the surrounding area with a special emphasis on Modern Mexican painting as well as Mexican History, Art History and Mexican Architecture.

The Colonia Roma was developed at the end of the 19th century by wealthy Mexicans in order to have a residence near Chapultepec Castle which was the official residence of President Porfirio Díaz.  The architectural style is Parisian Belle Epoch which is characterized by high ceilings and elaborate moldings.