Gran Via Street

As early as 1862, a project was proposed to create a street that would connect two luxurious neighborhoods of Madrid – Salamanca and Argüelles. It was then that the name «Gran Via» appeared, ironically, as the critics met the project with resistance. But 40 years later, the project finally came to fruition. In 1904, the mayor of Madrid at the time, Jose Franco Rodriguez, signed the results of an auction won for 29 million pesetas by French banker Martin Albert Silver (in 1923, he transferred his rights to the construction of the street to Basque industrialist Horacio Echevarrieta Maruri).

And so in 1910, the official groundbreaking ceremony took place, during which King Alfonso XIII extracted the first stone with a silver pickaxe from the wall of the priest’s house of the Church of Saint Jose. Such a less-than-royal gesture marked the start of paving the future street.

The city faced a challenging task in constructing the new street – to pave the 35 meter wide and 1315 meter long thoroughfare, more than 300 houses had to be demolished, 14 streets ceased to exist, and 54 streets were shortened. An interesting example – the nearby Preciados Street was lowered by 3-4 meters, requiring a whole row of houses to be «built down,» with main entrances becoming balconies and basements undergoing serious reconstruction to take on the role of the first floor. Several old trees also needed to be transplanted closer to the houses.

Gran Via is clearly divided into three sections. The first section – from Alcala Street to Red de San Luis Plaza – is characterized by traditional architecture, with neo-Renaissance style buildings adorned with columns, luxurious balconies, and large cornices.

The second section, extending to Callao Plaza (Callao), features a mix of French style and modernist, American-style architecture.

The third section – up to Plaza de España – fully represents American rationalism.

The very first building on the street, at the corner with Victor Hugo Street, was completed in 1916. Its lower floor was occupied by the «Tea Salon», which quickly became popular among aristocratic patrons. In 1917, the salon owner illuminated his signs with fourteen arches of electric bulbs, becoming a pioneer of light advertising on Gran Via. The last building on the street was completed in 1952, housing the «Washington» hotel. However, some buildings were later replaced with newer ones.

For a long time, the most prominent building on Gran Via was the «Telefonica» building. This was the name given to the national telephone company’s building in Madrid. Constructed in 1929, an architect from America was invited to design it. Nevertheless, it was decorated by Spaniard Ignacio Cardenas, who worked in the «Madrid baroque» style. Until the 50s, the «Telefonica» was the tallest building in the Spanish capital – 81 meters high, with 14 floors plus a three-story tower. It was the first urban skyscraper. During the civil war, its roof served as an anti-aircraft observation post.

Before World War II, Gran Via was a true entertainment center in Madrid. There were numerous restaurants, bars, and cabarets frequented by famous people. For example, Ernest Hemingway often visited the «Chicote» bar.

There was once a saying about Gran Via in Madrid: if you couldn’t find a needed item here, it was unlikely to be found elsewhere in the city. It was a true commercial showcase of the big city. And despite other areas of the capital getting their own shopping centers and department stores, Gran Via still maintains its prestige.

A small plaza called Plaza del Callao is a true pride of Spanish cinema: it is home to no less than six movie theaters.Gran Via leads to Plaza de España, famous for the monument to two renowned heroes of Cervantes – Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. This project was developed in 1915 by Mateo Inurria and Teodoro Anasagasti. Since then, the knight of the sorrowful countenance and his faithful squire have stood on the square, to which two skyscrapers were added as attractions in the 40s and 50s: “Spain” and “Madrid”. The «Telefono» building ceded its primacy to «Madrid,» which for a long time held the title of the tallest building in the capital and for about seven years was the tallest building in Europe.

All the buildings on Gran Via are different from each other, each with its own character. Famous clubs and prestigious hotels were located here, and it is hard to find 20th-century celebrities who did not visit.

The name of the street did not become official immediately. Initially, its three sections had separate names in honor of Spanish politicians, including a time when the street was called Russia Street and even the Soviet Union Street. Under Franco and until 1981, the street was named after José Antonio Primo de Rivera, the founder of the Falangist movement. It has only recently reclaimed its historically established name. The street recently celebrated its centennial anniversary with great ceremony.