Casa dos Portugueses

Located at No. 13 Calle de la Virgen de los Peligros, on the corner of Calle Caballero de Gracia and Calle Jardines, between Gran Vía and Calle de Alcalá, these two iconic buildings were designed by architect Luis Bellido (who also designed Matadero and the Tirso de Molina Market) and built between 1919 and 1922. Known as a meeting place for the Portuguese population living in Madrid, the buildings are crowned by a striking dome and rooftop garden.

Casa dos Portugueses consists of two independent buildings although they were conceived as a whole. The first of them was commissioned by the financier Garriao, with the first three floors designed to house commercial premises and the fourth for the owner’s home. The second, after which the building is named, housed the commercial premises of Casa dos Portugueses. The layout of the two buildings is similar, although this one is topped by the iconic dome clad in blue and white tiles that can be seen from Gran Vía.

There is also a rooftop garden, which sets off the dome and the rest of the architectural features beautifully.

As an interesting aside, the building that previously occupied the site where the Casa dos Portugueses now stands was once home to the famous French author Víctor Hugo between 1811 and 1812.

Image credits:

By Luis García, CC BY-SA 3.0, wikipedia.