Gran Via - details and images
In the mid 19th century, urban planners in Madrid have decided that a new bus trabuie road building, to unite with the Calle de Alcala Plaza de Espana. The project requires many downtown buildings to be demolished. Decades after his initial plans had been made, the construction had not started yet, and newspapers ridiculed the project, calling it cynically 'Gran Via', the great road. Finally in 1904 the project was approved and construction started two years later. The last part of the street was completed in 1929.
Created new avenue of opportunities for architects who had the ability to create large buildings in the latest architectural styles. Calle de Alcala The first building from the eyes is monopolizing Edificio Metropolis, Metropolis building. It was built between 1907 and 1911 after a project architect Jules & Raymond Février. Statue on top of the building was replaced in 1975 with a statue of winged victory goddess.
A little further along the Gran Via Edificio Grassy found, another building on the corner with a small tower. It was built in 1917. From Edificio Grassy already see the Edificio Telefonica tower, a skyscraper built between 1926 and 1929 for the Spanish telecommunications company. Building height of 88 meters was the highest in Madrid and would fit very well in Chicago. In a not very surprising, Telefonica building architect was an American, Louis S. Weeks.
Going to the Plaza de Espana, Gran Via crosses a small square, Plaza del Callao. This square is the heart of cinema in Madrid, here there are half a dozen theaters. One of those cinemas, Capitol, is located in a gorgeous Art Deco building.
The last part of the Gran Via, built between 1925 and 1929 leads to Plaza de Espana, a market dominated by two huge skyscrapers built in 1950, Edificio de España and the Torre de Madrid. Here is Calle de Gran Via Princessa, which leads north to Arco de la Victoria.
Transport - Metro station: Banco de Espana (M2), Gran Via (M1, M5), Callao (M3, M5), Santo Domingo (M2), Plaza de Espana (M2, M3, M10)
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