Palacio de Orleans-Borbón, Town hall with eclectic architecture in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain.
The Palacio de Orleans-Borbón in Sanlúcar de Barrameda was built by wrapping three existing buildings — the old conciliar seminary, the Casa de Páez de la Cádena and part of the Merced convent — in a common shell, so it has no axial or coaxial symmetry. Its facades combine Neo-Mudéjar and Italianate classicism, while the interior rooms mix Neo-Mudéjar, Rococo, chinoiserie, Egyptian and English decoration.
The building was constructed between 1853 and 1870 and originally served as a summer residence for Antoine, Duke of Montpensier, and Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain. It was later converted to serve the town as its administrative headquarters.
The interior decoration mixes historicist styles: Neo-Mudéjar, Rococo, chinoiserie, Egyptian and English. The Duke of Montpensier drew on his stays in Lebanon and Algeria and a diplomatic voyage through the eastern Mediterranean in 1845; his secretary Antoine de Latour said each step recalled Egypt, Algeria, Tunis, Constantinople or Granada. This orientalist model spread among Cádiz and Seville's bourgeoisie.
The building sits at the intersection of Cuesta de Belén and Calle Caballero in the town center. Keep in mind that this is an active administrative seat, so not all areas may be freely accessible to visitors.
The palace was sold in 1971 to be demolished, and only from 1979 did the city council begin proceedings to acquire and recover it. In 2021 Hispania Nostra added the building to its red list of heritage at risk because of its ruined state.
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