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Gran Vía is an upscale shopping street known as Madrid’s Broadway. It runs from Plaza de España eastward to Calle de Alcalá near Plaza de Cibeles.
History
Gran Vía was developed in 1904 as a connection between Plaza de España and Calle de Alcalá. Several historic buildings had to be demolished during its construction from 1910 to 1929, but many famous modern buildings now sit along the road. It’s full of some of Madrid’s best shopping along with several hotels, restaurants, and theatres.
Architecture
In this post, I will talk about just a handful of the interesting buildings along the street. I’ll start from the eastern end at Calle de Alcalá and move westward.
Metropolis Building
Starting at the corner with Calle de Alcalá, the first notable building is the iconic Metropolis Building (Edificio Metrópolis). It opened in 1911 for La Unión y el Feníx, an insurance company that dates back to 1864. French architects Jules Février and his son Raymond designed the building. The copula has 30,000 leaves of 24 carat gold. Technically, the building isn’t on Gran Vía but on Calle de Alcalá.
Grassy Building
The next building is the Grassy Building (Edificio Grassy), which houses a jewelry store and museum of antique clocks. It opened in 1917 and was designed by architect Eladio Laredo. It’s officially the first building on Gran Vía.
Gran Vía 6
Across the street is Gran Vía 6, which was built by Spanish architects José María Mendoza Ussía and Aragón Pradera. Construction took two years and it opened in 1919.
La Estrella Insurance Building
On the next block is the La Estrella Insurance Building, built between 1917 and 1922 by Spanish architect Pedro Mathet.
Gran Vía 16
At Gran Vía 16 is a building constructed between 1914 and 1916 as offices and apartments for Rafael Sánchez. The architect was Julio Martínez-Zapata.
Hotel Círculo
Hotel Círculo is at the end of the next block, occupying #24. It was built between 1918 and 1924 by Spanish architects Joaquín and Luis Sainz de los Terreros. The building was originally the Circle of Merchants and Industrialists Union. It’s currently a boutique hotel run by Marriott.
Telefónica Building
Two buildings down is the Telefónica Building (Edificio Telefónica). It opened in March 1929 after three years of construction under Spanish architect Ignacio de Cárdenas. At 14 floors, it was one of Europe’s first skyscrapers. The building is the headquarters of Telefónica, a telecommunications company.
Madrid-Paris Building
Further along the street is the Madrid-Paris Building (Edificio Madrid-Paris). It was built between 1921 and 1924 and occupies the largest block of space along the street. The architect was Teodoro de Anasagasti. The building housed the first department store in Madrid.
Hotel Atlántico
On the next block is the Hotel Atlántico, built between 1920 and 1923 by Spanish architect Joaquín Saldaña. It’s one of the iconic hotels of Madrid, and features a tower with a copula on one corner.
Plaza del Callao
Plaza del Callao, which opened in June 1866, had to be reformed greatly with the construction of Gran Vía. It’s named for the Battle of Callao, which took place in May 1866 between the Spanish navy and the Peruvian army.
The pedestrian streets of Calle de Preciados and Calle del Carmen lead from Plaza del Callao all the way to Puerta del Sol. There are several shops along each street. Calle de Preciados is one of the most expensive places in the world to rent space.
Adriática Building
Three impressive buildings sit on Plaza del Callao. One is the Adriática Building (Edificio La Adriática) with its clock and copula. It was designed by Luis Sainz de los Terreros and constructed between 1924 and 1926.
Cine Callao
On the other side of the plaza is Cine Callao, which opened on December 11, 1926. The Jazz Singer was screened there on June 13, 1929, and was the first “talkie” shown in Spain. The building’s architect was Luis Gutiérrez Soto.
Press Palace
Across the street is the Press Palace (Palacio de la Prensa), which was built between 1924 and 1928 by Spanish architect Pedro Muguruza. The design was influenced by the Auditorium Building in Chicago.
Carrión Building
The Carrión Building (Edificio Carrión), which sits near Plaza del Callao, opened in 1933 after two years of construction. It displays the city’s iconic neon Schweppes sign and is also known as the Capitol Building (Edificio Capitol). The architects were Luis Martínez-Feduchi and Vicente Eced y Eced.
Plaza del Callao to Plaza de España
From there, the street curves to the northwest and continues to Plaza de España, where you can easily spot the Madrid Tower (Torre de Madrid). There aren’t as many notable buildings along that stretch but there’s still plenty of interesting architecture to be found.
