Rehabilitation of the Linares palace

Madrid, Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid.
Medal/Award in the category Conservation / Conservation and adaptive reuse in the year 1993.

Dating of the building: 1872.

Applicant: Madrid City Hall.

Reason for the award :

For the attention to detail with which the restoration was carried out, the success of its rehabilitation, and its symbolic and artistic value.

  • PALACIO DEL MARQUES DE LINARES Y CASA DE AMERICA. VISTA EXTERIOR.
  • PALACIO DEL MARQUES DE LINARES (CASA DE AMERICA). SALON SEGUNDA PLANTA.
  • PALACIO DEL MARQUES DE LINARES (CASA DE AMERICA). SALON CHINO, SEGUNDA PLANTA.
  • PALACIO DEL MARQUES DE LINARES (CASA DE AMERICA). GALERIA DE MUSICOS.
  • PALACIO DEL MARQUES DE LINARES (CASA DE AMERICA). FACHADA TRASERA Y JARDINES.

One of the last palaces on Paseo de la Castellana, Linares Palace, was recovered as the headquarters of the Casa América and the Ibero-American Community of Nations.

Of the many palaces that once existed on Paseo de la Castellana, very few have survived to this day. The Linares Palae, on the corner of Calé de Alcalá and Plaza de Cibeles, is one of them. It was built in 1872 by José Murga, a bourgeois who made his fortune in Cuba, a distinguished supporter of the ephemeral King Amadeo of Saboya, who granted him the title of Marquis of Linares. Constructed in the neoclassical style prevailing in France, the new Marquis spared no expense when it came to decorating its interiors, where marble, mosaic, and bronze abound, silk tapestries and curtains, crystal chandeliers, and the best furniture in the city. Following in this line, the most renowned national painters, Francisco Padilla, Casto Plasencia, and Alejandro Ferrant, were hired to decorate the walls with frescoes.

Personal family situations, which gave rise to lurid legends, led to the closure of the downtown building. On the occasion of the fifth centenary, the Madrid City Hall and Community of Madrid, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, decided to create the Casa de América consortium, using it as its headquarters. Consequently, it was restored, and converted into a cultural centre, auditorium, exhibition hall, and cinema projection room, preserving all the original structure, including the garages and the dollhouse. Since then, the main palace has been the headquarters of the Ibero-American Community of Nations.

Others awards in Comunidad de Madrid: