Canalejas Gallery: Madrid's new golden mile
The only name of canalejas square , formerly known as the four streets that converge -Carrera de San Jerónimo, Calle de la Cruz, Seville and Príncipe- , involves history, anecdotes and architecture, since at the end of the 19th century Calle de Alcalá, from Puerta del Sol to Plaza de Cibeles, became the Financial center of Madrid .
Buildings of the category of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando -installed in the Goyeneche Palace- , the Bilbao Bank Building, the Palace of the Equitable , the Building of the Widow of Meneses, the Circle of Fine Arts , the house of Tomás Allende or the tailor shop of Tomás Isern. All of them formed a very important architectural nucleus, nuanced in the heights by extraordinary auctions such as the chariots of the former headquarters of the Bank of Bilbao, the imposing Minerva of the Círculo de Bellas Artes or the dome of the Metropolis building.
A historically and architecturally impressive setting
On the ground floor they were entertained by emblematic establishments such as the Café Suizo or the Café de Iris (a gathering place for the Generation of '98, located in what is known as the Pasaje del Iris, which linked Calle de Alcalá and Carrera de San Jerónimo), the legendary ** Lhardy restaurant ** or the charming store of The Violet in the Plaza de Canalejas 6 , whose aromatic violet candies seduced everyone who passed by. Among those seduced was the same King Alfonso XIII As they say, he bought sweets for both his wife, Queen Victoria Eugenia, and his mistress, Carmen Ruíz de Moragas.
A PLACE WITH SOLERA
In the photographs of Jean-Laurent , the French photographer who portrayed Spain in the 19th century, shows an endearing Canalejas square with neon lights announcing Terry cognac and Tio Pepe hat peeking out from its Puerta del Sol. Wooden trams advancing alone along a road along which hardly a car passed that everyone turned to look, mule-drawn carts , men with top hats and violet boxes selling bouquets, just like in the famous Sara Montiel's film, La Violetera.
The elephants that serve as capitals at the Four Seasons Madrid
At the beginning of the 20th century, the opening of the Casino de Madrid and the Great sadness It was quite an event, especially when the June 14, 1924 the station was opened Seville subway with the first section of line 2. The name of Canalejas is due to the speaker Jose Canalejas , killed by an anarchist while looking at the shop window of the San Martin bookstore.
Exterior of the Canalejas Gallery and facade of Four Seasons Madrid
A HOTSPOT IN THE MADRID MUSEUM STAGE
Given this background, it is not surprising that the Canalejas block with seven of its colossal buildings has been chosen to house Canalejas Gallery Madrid new icon of the city, a project of the Villar Mir Group, OHL Developments and Mohari Limited whose architectural design has been carried out by the Lamella studio , in which 525 million euros have been invested, seven years of work, and which will directly and indirectly employ almost 5,000 people.
Among its 50,000 m2 will be the Four Seasons Hotel five star that announces its opening on September 25 , the first of the Canadian chain in Spain, whose interior design has been commissioned, in part, by the American studio Bamo . The hotel will host 200 rooms (one of the suites, 450 m2, was the old office of Mario Conde in Banesto times) . the rest will be 22 private residences whose attic will cost about 10 million euros , offering the services of the hotel to the owners, and Dani García's restaurant (three Michelin stars) located in the attic, which encompasses magnificent views of the center of Madrid.
Exterior of the Canalejas Gallery
Canalejas Gallery It has its entrance on Calle Alcalá 10 and will make passageway to cross from Alcalá to Seville . It occupies 15,000 m2 where 40 stores of the most select brands in the world have taken their place. Among many others will be Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Loewe and Hermes who will be the first to open this October 2020 , since the rest will have to wait until 2021 due to delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jewelry and perfumeries occupy the first and second floors, while the food hall It will occupy the third floor. This great gastronomic space will have some 15 restaurants, some with a Michelin star, as well as market for gourmet products, haute confectionery, and more informal spaces. The basement will be converted into a garage for 400 spaces . "A revolution in shopping and lifestyle in southern Europe", in the words of the director of Canalejas Gallery Tourism, Charlotte Gil.
AND THE HERITAGE?
Like any great work, and this one is colossal, the project has gone through some controversies regarding the safety of the magnificent heritage of the seven buildings . The promoters of Gallery Canalejas Madrid report on the 16,700 pieces, grouped into 300 different typologies, that have been incorporated into the project. Among them: capitals, lattices, stained glass windows, marble... and even the old bank safes that filled some of the buildings have been wisely used.
Art deco detail of the entrance to the Canalejas Gallery
As for the disturbances caused by the works, such as the temporary closure of metro line 2 (curiously, the first to open in Madrid) with the consequent damage to citizens and shops in Puerta del Sol and its surroundings, it will be rewarded with the rehabilitation of one of the most valuable urban areas of Madrid that will place you at the height of the most prestigious capitals in the world. As for the external appearance, the Canalejas Gallery has not changed its genuine structure and the construction process has been completed according to the standards Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) , a certification system for sustainable buildings, developed by the US Green Building Council. All this guarantees an energy efficient building, which uses alternative energies, in accordance with environmental standards and with charging areas for electric vehicles.
Exterior of the Canalejas Gallery
Art deco detail of Canalejas Gallery