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Cibeles Palace (
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
: ''Palacio de Cibeles''), formally known as Palacio de Comunicaciones (''Palace of Communications'') and Palacio de Telecomunicaciones (''Palace of Telecommunications'') until 2011, is a complex composed of two buildings with white facades and is located in one of the historical centres of
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. Formerly the city's main
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
and telegraph and telephone headquarters, it is now occupied by Madrid City Council, serving as the city hall, and the public cultural centre ''CentroCentro''.


Overview

The palace was built on one of the sides of the Plaza de Cibeles in the Los Jerónimos neighbourhood (district of Retiro) and occupies about 30,000 m2 of what were the old gardens of the
Buen Retiro Buen is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Anders Buen (1864–1933), Norwegian typographer, newspaper editor, trade unionist, and politician *Hauk Buen (1933–2021), Norwegian hardingfele fiddler and fiddle maker *Knut Buen (bo ...
.Ariza, Carmen (1990). «Los jardines del Buen Retiro de Madrid». ''Lunwerg'' (Ayuntamiento de Madrid) II. The choice of the site generated some controversy at the time for depriving Madrid of recreational space. The first stone of the building was laid in 1907. The building was officially opened on 14 March 1919 and began operating as a modern distribution centre for post, telegraphs and telephones. Following some architectural changes to the building's exterior, such as the expansion of two floors and the street and pathway of Montalbán, it began to house municipal offices of the City of Madrid in 2007, moving its departments from the Casa de la Villa (''House of the City'') and the Casa de Cisneros, which were both located in the Plaza de la Villa. This renovation of the building from the early twenty-first century also included a cultural area called "CentroCentro". The whole complex, from a
Spanish architecture Spanish architecture refers to architecture in any area of what is now Spain, and by Spanish architects worldwide. The term includes buildings which were constructed within the current borders of Spain prior to its existence as a nation, when ...
stance, is one of the first examples of and most representative, to be built in the centre of Madrid, with its Neoplateresque façade and Baroque Salamanca evocations. The building was designed by the young Spanish architects
Antonio Palacios Antonio Palacios Ramilo (8 January 1874 – 27 October 1945) was a Spanish architect. Distinguished by the monumental eclecticism he left as imprint in many of his projects, he helped define the architectural identity of Madrid in the first half ...
and Joaquín Otamendi through a municipal competition to be the headquarters for the Society of Post and Telegraph of
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. Palacios and Otamendi were also the consultants for the Bilbao Bridge, Madrid Casino and the San Sebastian Bridge. The Cybele Palace was the beginning of the brilliant career in construction for both architects. The decorative motifs of the façade and interior were made by the romantic sculptor Ángel García Díaz, a regular collaborator of Antonio Palacios. One of the design objectives was the construction of "a building for the public". After their construction and due to the wear and tear of normal use, the buildings slowly started to show signs of the modifications made, which included alterations to improve the communication systems. Modifications were carried out in both buildings in the 1960s and were directed by Alejandro de la Sota. Antonio de Sala-Navarro and Reverter carried out further repairs and alterations between 1980 and 1992. The decline in the use of postal mail in the late twentieth century gradually reduced the functions of the complex, and, as a result, it began to lose its importance. In 1993 it was declared a
Bien de Interés Cultural A Bien de Interés Cultural is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Venezuela and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" ("goods" in the economic sense) and inclu ...
(''Asset of Cultural Interest'') and classified in the ‘monument’ category. At the beginning of the 21st century it was incorporated into the municipal estate and became a cultural centre and seat of the City Council of Madrid.


History

Madrid was growing in population and size in the seventeenth century after the decision of
Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
to transform the city onto an administrative and political centre for the nation. The Calle de Alcalá initially began at
Puerta del Sol The Puerta del Sol (English: "Gate of the Sun") is a public square in Madrid, one of the best known and busiest places in the city. This is the centre ('' Km 0'') of the radial network of Spanish roads. The square also contains the famous clo ...
and ended at
Paseo del Prado The Paseo del Prado is one of the main boulevards in Madrid, Spain. It runs north–south between the Plaza de Cibeles and the Plaza del Emperador Carlos V (also known as Plaza de Atocha), with the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo (the locati ...
(at the height of the Plaza de Cibeles). Madrid's population growth meant that postal communication during the reign of
Fernando VI of Spain , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Philip V of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa of Savoy , birth_date = 23 September 1713 , birth_place = Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Madrid, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Villavic ...
was promoted through the construction of the Real Casa de Correos (''Royal House of Letters''), which was allocated to the Spanish architect
Ventura Rodríguez Ventura Rodríguez Tizón (July 14, 1717 – September 26, 1785) was a Spanish architect and artist. Born at Ciempozuelos, Rodríguez was the son of a bricklayer. In 1727, he collaborated with his father in the work at the Royal Palace of Aranj ...
. After the crowning of the new monarch
Charles III of Spain it, Carlo Sebastiano di Borbone e Farnese , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Philip V of Spain , mother = Elisabeth Farnese , birth_date = 20 January 1716 , birth_place = Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Spain , death_d ...
, Charles III reassigned the architect Jamie Marquet to the city. The building served as the Casa de Correos (''Post Office'') until the construction of the new "Palacio de Comunicaciones". The location in the heart of the city resulted in road congestion and slow communication. The widening alterations to Puerta del Sol in 1856 led to the Casa de Correos finally hosting the Ministry of the Interior. The preliminary draft was approved by the minister of Public Works, Claudio Moyano, for the expansion on 19 July 1860; following the proposal project of the architect and engineer
Carlos María de Castro Carlos María de Castro (24 September 1810 - 2 November 1893) was a Spanish architect, engineer and urban planner. He created the plan of the urban expansion (''Ensanche'') of Madrid. The New Plan of Madrid was commissioned in 1857 and adopted in 1 ...
to expand the old city limits. During Spain's restoration period, the Paseo del Prado and Recoletos continued being the preferred location for prestigious institutions and organisations, as well as mansions. Examples include, Buenavista Palace (the Army General Headquarters), which was designed by the architect Juan Pedro de Arnal in 1776 for the Dukes of Alba and the Palacio del Marqués de Linares (
Palace of Linares The Palace of Linares (Spanish: ''Palacio de Linares'') is a palace located in Madrid, Spain. It was declared national historic-artistic monument (precursor of the status of ''Bien de Interés Cultural A Bien de Interés Cultural is a category o ...
), which is currently the Casa de América. One of the distinguishing elements of the surroundings was the installation of the Fountain of Cybele in 1794, designed by Ventura Rodríguez. The Plaza de Cibeles was originally called Plaza de Madrid, which was renamed as the Plaza de Castelar. The gardens of the Buen Retiro stretched to the Paseo del Prado. The so-called gardens of San Juan seemed to be the site for the construction of the new building. The architect
José Grases Riera José Grases Riera (25 April 1850 – 12 February 1919) was a Spanish architect from Barcelona. Born in Barcelona, Grases graduated from the School of Architecture in Barcelona in 1878 and moved to Madrid shortly after. Through to the turn of ...
had previously carried out studies for the remodelling of the area and had one of them published. The unveilings of the gardens of the Buen Retiro in 1876 and the
Hipódromo de la Castellana The Hipódromo de la Castellana, also known as the Hipódromo de Madrid, was a sports facility dedicated to horse racing. Located on the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, Spain, it was designed by engineer Francisco Boguerín as one of the first ...
two years later led to the traffic moving to the junction of the
Calle de Alcalá Calle de Alcalá is among the longest streets in Madrid. It starts at the Puerta del Sol and goes on for , to the northeastern outskirts of the city. Henry David Inglis described it in 1837 as "long, of superb width, and flanked by a splendid rang ...
and the
Paseo del Prado The Paseo del Prado is one of the main boulevards in Madrid, Spain. It runs north–south between the Plaza de Cibeles and the Plaza del Emperador Carlos V (also known as Plaza de Atocha), with the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo (the locati ...
. This led to the disappearance of the Real Pósito and the construction of the Palacio de Linares between 1873 and 1900. The Alcañices Palace or the Duke of Sexto were demolished to make way for the building of the
Bank of Spain The Bank of Spain ( es, link=no, Banco de España) is the central bank of Spain. Established in Madrid in 1782 by Charles III of Spain, Charles III, today the bank is a member of the European System of Central Banks and is also Spain's national ...
. On 4 April 1910 the works commenced to demolish and build the north–south road axis of Gran Vía. This new larger road axis aimed to displace the role of the east–west axis featuring the roads Mayor-Alcalá, which had previously been predicted by architect Silvestre Pérez in 1810, during the Bonapartist reign.


The building: a long process

The building took twelve years to complete. During this time, it was subjected to delays, superstitions, and various disputes. The project was approved in 1905 with construction commencing in 1907. The official opening was in 1919. After the approval of the design, the construction was interrupted and slowed down for a few years due to resistance and political struggles in the period. There were political instability and interests at that time that gave rise to the transfer of municipal sites. The Chamber of Commerce in Madrid requested cancellation of the project and called for a new competition. The construction came to a halt for two years during the time the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
was in government. The construction processes for the new post office began with the arrival of the
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
. During these processes, J. Otamendi tackled two other projects in the capital. In 1908 he began the Hospital of Maudes in the neighbourhood of Cuatro Caminos and in 1910 the headquarters for the Banco Español del Río de la Plata in the neighbourhood of Alcalá. The work officially commenced on 12 September 1907. The works were awarded to the Toran and Harguindey Society. The engineer Ángel Chueca Sainz was in charge of calculating the new building's metal structures, Chueca Sainz was the father of the distinguished architect Fernando Chueca Goitia. The construction started quickly and the people gave it the humorous name ‘''Nuestra Señora de las Comunicaciones’'' (Our Lady of Communications) because of its monumental character and size. In 1916 it first opened its doors to the Public Postal Savings Bank (''Caja Postal de Ahorros)'' despite the building not being completed until 1918. The construction materials required quickly brought the el Paseo del Prado to a standstill as between one thousand five hundred and two thousand tons of iron, seven thousand cubic meters of stone and a huge quantity of bricks were required. Groups of artists and artisans were organised by the sculptor Ángel García. Among them were the ceramist
Daniel Zuloaga Daniel Zuloaga y Boneta (1852 – December 27, 1921) was a Spanish ceramist and painter. He is considered to be one of the innovators of art pottery in Spain. He worked primarily from his workshops in Madrid and Segovia, but his work extended th ...
, who suspended his involvement and Manuel Ramos Rejano, from the Sevillian ceramists, sculpted the interior decoration. By 1916, many of the finished façade elements were visible to passers-by from the street below. The media announced that Francos Rodríguez (as Director General of Communication) and Santiago Alba (as Minister of the Interior) were to visit the construction. Interior building works were concluding between 1916 and 1918. The cost of the building was at the time twelve million pesetas, almost three times the initial amount proposed.


Inauguration and beginning

After twelve years of construction, the building was officially opened at midday on 14 March 1919, with the name ‘Catedral de las Comunicaciones’ (Cathedral of Communications). The royal couple, Alfonso XIII and his wife Victoria Eugenie, attended the celebration accompanied by members of the government. Their visit lasted two hours. The palace was at the time a symbol of national progress, modernity and the ideas of regenerationism that were taking root in the media and in some of the intellectuals of the age. The palace became the hub of communications in Madrid at the beginning of the twentieth century. After just one year, the palace became the international headquarters of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). One of the first responsibilities of the palace was to deal with postal traffic. Palm trees were planted in the Plaza de Cánovas during the 1920s. In 1927 saw the construction of the rear half of the
Bank of Spain The Bank of Spain ( es, link=no, Banco de España) is the central bank of Spain. Established in Madrid in 1782 by Charles III of Spain, Charles III, today the bank is a member of the European System of Central Banks and is also Spain's national ...
(''Banco de España''), which is situated on Calle Alaclá, demolishing the Casas-Palacio (known as Santamarca) for its completion. The Plaza de Cibeles was the main location for various political celebrations, such as the proclamation of the
Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII, and was di ...
on 14 April 1931, when the flag of the Second Republic was raised on the façade of the Palacio de Comunicaciones. The first remodelling was undertaken, adding two further floors to the management building. Despite the important location, the building did not suffer major damage from the bombings that devastated Madrid during the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
. During the
Siege of Madrid The siege of Madrid was a two-and-a-half-year siege of the Republican-controlled Spanish capital city of Madrid by the Nationalist armies, under General Francisco Franco, during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). The city, besieged from Octo ...
, the building came under gun fire. The bullet holes can still be seen today on the building's white façade. The bullet holes were caused by the military-like actions at the end of the Civil War (at the beginning of March 1939), as a consequence of
Segismundo Casado Segismundo Casado López (10 October 1893 – 18 December 1968) was a Spanish Army officer; he served during the late Restoration, the Primo de Rivera dictatorship and the Second Spanish Republic. Following outbreak of the Spanish Civil W ...
's revolt against Juan Negerín's government. The constitution of the National Defence Council placed a, artillery battery in the Plaza de Cibeles. The building was involved in a battle on 8 and 9 March when communist troops succeeded in taking the Palacio de Comunicaciones within a few hours, while Casado's troops were resisting in the Naval Office (''Ministerio de la Marina''), the War Office and the Bank of Spain. Much later it would be confirmed as the beginning of the street Gran Vía (''The Great Way'').Santiago Amón, (1977), ''Programa de TV «Trazos»'', recorrido por la Gran Vía


Decline in its use as a postal centre and reuse

Telegraph services continued increasing in Spain until 1987. During this period the building underwent some restorations and a whitening of its façade in 1994. Since this date, the building's use had started to decline until 2005 when it became a purely residential service; with less than five hundred users. In 1996 the architect Belén Isla Ayuso was in charge of the first restoration of the façade. The Palacio de Comunicaciones' transformation began in 2003 after the Collaboration Protocol between the City Council of Madrid and the Treasury Department to optimise the use of certain buildings in Madrid. The needs of the city hall and municipal administration had outgrown their traditional seat, the Casa de la Villa and Casa de Cisneros, both of which are located in the Plaza de la Villa. Therefore, the city council was relocated to the much grander but underused building on Plaza de Cibeles. The first municipal bodies, including the office of the mayor, were moved in 2007; the city council held its first session in the palace in 2011. The Casa de la Villa is still owned by the municipality and is used for receptions and other formal events.


References

{{Authority control 1919 establishments in Spain Buildings and structures completed in 1919 Palaces in Madrid Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in Madrid Former post office buildings Paseo del Prado City and town halls in Spain Buildings and structures in Jerónimos neighborhood, Madrid Post office buildings in Spain