Edificio Metrópolis

Description

"Edificio Metrópolis" in #Madrid, designed in 1907 by French architects Jules and Raymond Février for insurance company La Unión y el Fénix, stands as a striking Beaux-Arts landmark at the corner of Calle de Alcalá and Gran Vía. Construction began in 1907 after demolishing five homes, with inauguration in 1911. Its ornate facade features colonnaded upper floors topped by statues of Mining, Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce by Saint Marceaux and L. Lambert, plus a statue by Mariano Benlliure at the dome's base. The rounded cupola gleams with 30,000 24-carat gold leaves, a bold French-inspired flourish unusual in early 20th-century Madrid.