Situated in Chueca, the old Colegio de las Escuelas Pías de San Antón (occupying an old leprosy hospital) is now the house of the Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid, since being reformed by the architect Gonzalo Moure in 2012.
A multifunctional space spread over more than 12,000 m2, with four floors and a central garden. It houses the new headquarters of COAM, the Fundación Arquitectura and the Instituto de Formación Contínua, which offers postgraduate courses (face-to-face and online), in addition to the library, the Historical Service, several exhibition spaces and a shop. It also houses various municipal facilities and public spaces, including: indoor swimming pool, a nursery school, a senior citizens’ centre, a music school, a restaurant, a terrace, multifunctional spaces for events, a showroom and a car park with 466 spaces.
The San Antón church from the old hospital, built by Pedro de Ribera in 1753, still stands. However, the large refurbishment was conducted by the architect Francisco deRivas between 1794 and 1832, to adapt it for its new function as a school and the church shows the Baroque decoration typical of the architect. The feast of Saint Anthony (17 January) is still celebrated, where animals are blessed and "panecillos" of the saint are sole.
The exterior of the building stands out thanks to its facade, designed by Ventura Rodríguez, known as Fuente de los Delfines (Fountain of the Dolphins), built between 1770 and 1772, refurbished in 1900 and situated on the corner between calles Hortaleza and Santa Brígada.
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