Rascacielos de Bailén, Modern office building in San Francisco district, Spain
Rascacielos de Bailén is a modern office building in the San Francisco district featuring 13 floors and a plain rationalist facade without ornamental details. The structure stands as a functional example of post-war architecture along Bilbao's urban landscape.
This structure was built between 1940 and 1946 by architects José María Chapa Galíndez and Manuel Ignacio Galíndez Zabala. It held the status of Bilbao's tallest building until 1968, marking a turning point in the city's urban development.
The building represents the post-war architectural transformation of Bilbao, marking the city's shift from traditional to modern construction methods.
The building sits near Abando and Casco Viejo metro stations at the boundary between San Francisco and Abando neighborhoods. Its central location makes it easy to reach when exploring central Bilbao.
This was the first building in Bilbao to exceed 40 meters in height, paving the way for vertical urban growth. Its success showed that the city was ready to expand upward rather than outward.
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