History
There is archaeological evidence of a 7th-century Phoenician necropolis located in the farmhouse of Casa de la Viña; there was also once a Punic-Roman city called Maenoba or Menoba (Cerro del Mar), at the mouth of the river Velez, which was a production and distribution centre for the famous Roman garum. Despite this, we can consider Torre del Mar a relatively new settlement, founded at the start of the 16th century, a settlement protected by a small castle from the Nasrid dynasty, known as Alcozaiba Tower. This was renamed "Torre de la Mar" (tower of the sea) in 1487 when it was taken by thePlaces of special interest
Torre del Mar train station
This compact train station from 1904 has a rectangular body and a single hall with two floors and two side sections running along the sides of the main building. It has an eclectic decoration, using neo-mudejar style brickwork for the edges of the doors, openings and corners. It also has overhanging eaves and gabled roofs with green glass tiles. The lower, central section has two doors on each side of the lower floor and openings over each door. The side sections are only one story high and have similar entrances. The building served as the railway station for the suburban line from Malaga to Velez-Málaga.Farmhouse Casa de la Viña (House of the Vineyard)
This hundred-year-old house stands at the foot of the mount Monte de la Viña in the original town centre of Torre del Mar, right next to the millenary channel of the fort house. The inhabitants abandoned this place to move to the vicinity of the old castle, which was out of service in the mid-19th century. The building is built around a central, quadrangular patio, which is communicated with the rooms and stores, the latter being situated in the east and south of the building. There is a three-floored pavilion on the north façade with a four-sided sloped roof. On the west side is the long, main facade which has two heights with uniform spaces and barred windows.Boat Club
The building was designed by Francisco Estrada Romero, influenced by the organic architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. It is small-scale with two floors and two different areas: One social and one for boats. The floor is arranged around three circles of differing sizes and a number of rectangles. Of the many different elements the glass tower in the shape of an inverted cone stands out, its function was to control the races and auxiliary lights. The building is an example of the modern movement from the second half of the 20th century, and manifests the unique uses of a maritime town such as Torre del Mar.The Old Castle of Torre del Mar
Entrance to the Hermitage of Las Angustias
All that is left of the hermitage is the entrance, which was erected by Pedro González, founder of the brotherhood, in the early second half of the 18th century. It later disappeared at the end of the 19th century, and the space has been occupied by houses since then. The classic baroque entrance is made of stone slabs from Cerro del Peñón. The structure is marked by two pillars composed of the base, shaft and capital. While being restored, a bare-brick lintel was added as well as a small alcove. The hermitage occupied the full length of the houses that now stand and was entered from the side. The entrance is both an historical and artistic element, and is testimony to the old hermitage in this place.Home of the Virgin of La Victoria
This home was constructed by the Larios family, possibly around the year 1907. This building was once called 'The building of Ave Maria' and was dedicated to charity. Later, in 1936, it was given over for use as schools and given the name 'Home of the Virgin of La Victoria'. The building is reminiscent of types of hospitals at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. The main body is rectangular, where the door is found with steps leading to the main floor. It is made up of two floors and a semi-basement which lifts the building up. Behind the main body six parallel pavilions extend, joined together and to the main body by a corridor, with the centre free for a patio with vegetation, at the end of which is a small chapel. The whole place has large windows and large dimensions bringing light to the rooms. The building forms part of the contemporary history of Torre del Mar, and as such, the collective memory of the inhabitants.House of Larios, Torre del Mar
The house of Larios dates from 1888 and also forms part of the sugar factory complex. It was used to house the offices of the personnel and the Factory engineer’s house. In the 70’s and 80’s, the building was used by the sugar cooperative. This building is simple and functional, in a regional style with mudejar influences, it is characteristic of the end of the 19th century, and is very similar to the factory building. The building has two floors with two pavilions joined by a transverse nave. In these pavilions you can observe the overhangs with wooden, neo-mudejar footings and glazed tiles. Of particular note is its great height and large bays which were decorated with bare brick in the same style as the corners of the building which nowadays are covered but can be seen from outside. There is a small entrance porch with two iron poles and decoration, on either side is a set of tiles from Seville dating from the nineteenth century. These tiles make up the image of the Immaculate Conception, in the style of a small altar which comes from one of the villas of Paseo Larios street, which has since been knocked down.Villa Mercedes
Located in Paseo Larios street, this is the only regionalist house in this area from the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. Previously this street boasted a number of this kind of house, each enclosed by walls. This building has two floors and an attic in the regionalist, neo-mudejar style. It is made up of different sections with a tower rising on the left side, in the style of the 16th century towers. At the front there is a porch with two Tuscan columns with sculpted cyma, it also has a particularly interesting stucco border with a relief showing motifs of plants. The façade is decorated by the main balcony and windows with decorative forged iron barring. The tower is three storeys tall with twin bay windows. The roofs are edged with beams or corbels. This is an excellent example of a second home of a landowner from the industrial era towards the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.lighthouse on the promenade
The lighthouse was built around the 1950s due to the distancing of the coast from the previous lighthouse. The building is industrial in style and has a square base supporting a rectangular prism with a number of windows opening to the outside of the lighthouse. It is topped by an entablature or moulding where the catadioptric system was kept. The lighthouse was built with polygonal stone slabs and the corners and windows were also edged with stone blocks. The inside is organised with an axis with a spiral staircase to go up to the top. Next to the tower is a small building which was used to house the electrical generator. This was a single-story rectangular building with a wooden, gabled roof and an inset window on one side. The corners and windows are edged with bare brick. It represents the fishing activity of a place which is closely linked to the sea.Toré Tore Avenue Lighthouse
This was built in 1930, as you can see on the weather vane. The building is industrial in style and has a square base supporting a rectangular prism with a number of windows opening to the outside of the lighthouse, currently the lower windows are covered. It is topped by an entablature or moulding where the catadioptric system is kept. The lighthouse was built with polygonal stone slabs and the corners and windows were also edged with stone blocks. The inside is organised with an axis with a spiral staircase to go up to the top. Next to the tower is a small building which was used to house the electrical generator. This was a single-story rectangular building with a wooden, gabled roof and an inset window on one side. The corners and windows are edged with bare brick.The sugar factory of Torre del Mar (The sugar refinery)
Saint Andrew’s Parish Church
Due to the urban development and population increase of Torre del Mar at the end of the 1960s, the town outgrew the old neo-mudejar church, so the drastic decision to build a new temple was made. The new building was in the modernist style, in the shape of a basilica, the layout and decoration was as prescribed by the second Vatican council predominantly reflecting simplicity, austerity and good feeling. The interior is completely diaphanous with no columns or pillars obstructing the view of the single altar, this was possible due to the new possibilities of concrete. Traditional decoration and ornaments are considered obstacles to 'correct' worship, which led the Church to minimalism, in which the figures of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary should be focal and clear. The impressive size of the crucified Christ is a work of the master of religious painting, Francisco Buiza Fernández.La Casa Recreo (recreational house, Tourist Office)
This is an ancestral home dating from the 19th century; it was a point of reference in the style of urbanisation in Torre del Mar. Nowadays, it is reformed and it sits between two infill buildings in the shape of a 'T' with a garden area in the front. The building has two floors and an original gallery has been preserved which was found in good condition prior to the reformation works. Currently, on the lower ground, the exhibition and help-desk are located. This leaves the upper floor for the department offices for tourism. As for the central part of the building, a glass covered patio was planned, around which the different departments are distributed. The standout features are the large wooden windows. There are views from the upper floor, looking out directly over the promenade and the sea. The building is clearly reminiscent of the kind of architecture of housing which is closely linked to areas of leisure for the bourgeoisie of the era, who enjoyed the rooms on the weekends and in summer for entertainment and relaxation.References
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