Metropolis Building
Encyclopedia
The Metropolis Building or Edificio Metrópolis (Spanish) is an office building in Madrid
, Spain
, at the corner of the Calle de Alcalá
and Gran Vía
. Inaugurated in 1911, it was designed by Jules and Raymond Février for the insurance company La Unión y el Fénix
. It is currently owned by Metrópolis Seguros.
acquired the ground in 1905, they launched an international competition for the opportunity to design their building. Among French and Spanish architects, Jules and Raymond Février won, and construction started in 1907.
For its construction, five homes had to be demolished between two streets: Calle de Alcalá and Calle del Caballero de Gracia. At that time, the Gran Via was still in design phase.
In 1910 construction was finished, and on 21 January 1911 the building was inaugurated.
The original statue on top of the building depicted the mythological Phoenix
and Ganymede
sitting on its wing. It is currently on display in the gardens around the Mutua Madrileña
building, Paseo de la Castellana nr 33.
In 1988 the facade was fully cleaned, together with the roof, basements and central courtyard. In November 1995 the delicate task of restoring the windows of the main staircase were done by the original artists, Maurnejean Vidrieras Artisticas and Antonio Herraiz, SA, retaining their original appearance.
End of 1996 the most important work was carried out, which restored the entire facade, with focus on the sculptures which were heavily damaged by environmental pollution and pigeons.
The ground level is topped by ornate colonnaded upper floors. The columns support 4 statues representing Mining, Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, made by Saint Marceaux and L. Lambert. At the foot of the dome you'll find a statue sculpted by D. Mariano Benlliure.
The rounded tower is covered with 30000 leaves of 24 Carat
gold.
starts at the Edificio Metrópolis. However, its real address is Calle de Alcalá 39. The first building at the beginning of Gran Vía is the Edificio Grassy
.
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, at the corner of the Calle de Alcalá
Calle de Alcalá
Calle de Alcalá is the longest street in Madrid. It starts at the Puerta del Sol and goes on for 10.5 km, to the northeastern outskirts of the city....
and Gran Vía
Gran Vía
Gran Vía is an ornate and upscale shopping street located in central Madrid. It leads from Calle de Alcalá, close to Plaza de Cibeles, to Plaza de España....
. Inaugurated in 1911, it was designed by Jules and Raymond Février for the insurance company La Unión y el Fénix
Fénix Directo
Fénix Directo has its origins in the Spanish insurance company La Unión y el Fénix.The history of La Unión y El Fénix goes back to the year 1864. Fénix Directo was launched in Spain in 1991 as a subsidiary of La Unión y El Fénix, with the name of Fénix Autos...
. It is currently owned by Metrópolis Seguros.
Start of construction
After La Unión y el FénixFénix Directo
Fénix Directo has its origins in the Spanish insurance company La Unión y el Fénix.The history of La Unión y El Fénix goes back to the year 1864. Fénix Directo was launched in Spain in 1991 as a subsidiary of La Unión y El Fénix, with the name of Fénix Autos...
acquired the ground in 1905, they launched an international competition for the opportunity to design their building. Among French and Spanish architects, Jules and Raymond Février won, and construction started in 1907.
For its construction, five homes had to be demolished between two streets: Calle de Alcalá and Calle del Caballero de Gracia. At that time, the Gran Via was still in design phase.
In 1910 construction was finished, and on 21 January 1911 the building was inaugurated.
New owners
In 1972 Metrópolis Seguros acquired the building, and the previous owner decided to take the original statue, by then very familiar in Madrid's skyline, to their new headquarters.The original statue on top of the building depicted the mythological Phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
and Ganymede
Ganymede (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Ganymede is a divine hero whose homeland was Troy. Homer describes Ganymede as the most beautiful of mortals. In the best-known myth, he is abducted by Zeus, in the form of an eagle, to serve as cup-bearer in Olympus. Some interpretations of the myth treat it as an allegory of...
sitting on its wing. It is currently on display in the gardens around the Mutua Madrileña
Mutua Madrileña
Mutua Madrileña is a large non-profit Spanish insurance company founded in 1930 that provides life, automobile, health and accident insurance as well as pension and investment funds.- Formula One sponsorship :...
building, Paseo de la Castellana nr 33.
Restoration
Metrópolis Seguros put a great deal of effort restoring the building. They understood that it was one of Madrid's landmarks and should be maintained. This went in a few steps but works started right after Metrópolis Seguros bought the building.In 1988 the facade was fully cleaned, together with the roof, basements and central courtyard. In November 1995 the delicate task of restoring the windows of the main staircase were done by the original artists, Maurnejean Vidrieras Artisticas and Antonio Herraiz, SA, retaining their original appearance.
End of 1996 the most important work was carried out, which restored the entire facade, with focus on the sculptures which were heavily damaged by environmental pollution and pigeons.
Architecture
Jules and Raymond Février gave the building a French, Beaux-Arts style, which was quite unusual at the time.The ground level is topped by ornate colonnaded upper floors. The columns support 4 statues representing Mining, Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, made by Saint Marceaux and L. Lambert. At the foot of the dome you'll find a statue sculpted by D. Mariano Benlliure.
The rounded tower is covered with 30000 leaves of 24 Carat
Carat
Carat or karat may refer to:In the gem business:* Carat , a unit of mass for gemstones, equal to 0.2 gram* Carat or karat, a unit of purity for goldIn Judaism:...
gold.
Location
It is commonly assumed Gran VíaGran Vía
Gran Vía is an ornate and upscale shopping street located in central Madrid. It leads from Calle de Alcalá, close to Plaza de Cibeles, to Plaza de España....
starts at the Edificio Metrópolis. However, its real address is Calle de Alcalá 39. The first building at the beginning of Gran Vía is the Edificio Grassy
Edificio Grassy
The Edificio Grassy is a building located in Gran Vía 1, in Madrid, Spain.-Architecture:Situated just off Calle de Alcalá, at the very beginning of Gran Vía, the Edificio Grassy was built between 1916 and 1917. It was constructed on a triangular piece of land, in the same way as the Edificio...
.
External links
- Official Metrópolis Seguros website (Spanish)