Casa Gallardo, Modernist residential building at Plaza España, Madrid, Spain
Casa Gallardo is a modernist residential building at Plaza España featuring curved facades decorated with horseshoe shapes and a distinctive dome marked with the letter G. Its ground floor houses Club Allard, a restaurant recognized for its refined culinary approach.
Architect Federico Arias Rey designed this structure between 1911 and 1914 by transforming an existing palace for the Gallardo sisters. The building received cultural heritage status in 1997 and was recognized as the year's best construction by Madrid's City Council in 1915.
The building takes its name from the Gallardo sisters, Asunción and Esperanza, for whom it was constructed, and its distinctive dome marks the plaza's appearance. Curved facades and ornamental details shape how visitors experience the space when walking around this corner of Madrid.
The plaza is easily accessible by public transport and straightforward to explore on foot. The building's exterior can be viewed freely, though interior access depends on restaurant operating hours.
This building belongs to a small group of structures from Madrid's late modernist phase and demonstrates a shift in style during that era. Such buildings are valued today as they show how architects merged traditional and modern elements.
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