Metrópolis Building

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A 1911 Beaux-Arts corner building where Calle de Alcalá meets Gran Vía, crowned by a black-slate dome with gilded garlands and a winged Victory statue.

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At a glance

Country: Spain
Location: Madrid, Spain
Built: 1911
Height: 45 m

Quick answers

Where is Metrópolis Building?

Metrópolis Building is in Madrid, Spain.

When was Metrópolis Building built?

Metrópolis Building was built in 1911.

How tall is Metrópolis Building?

Metrópolis Building is about 45 m tall.

The Metropolis Building is an office building in Madrid, Spain, on the corner where Calle de Alcalá meets Gran Vía. The French architects Jules and Raymond Février designed it in 1907 for an insurance company, La Unión y el Fénix, and it opened on 21 January 1911. It is about 45 metres tall.

It is famous for the black slate dome on top, covered with 30,000 leaves of 24-carat gold. A statue of winged Victory stands above the dome. Many people think Gran Vía begins at this building, but its real address is Calle de Alcalá 39, and the first building of Gran Vía is the Edificio Grassy next door.

A French building in Madrid

The Février brothers gave the building a French Beaux-Arts style, which was quite unusual in Spain at the time. The ground level supports ornate colonnaded upper floors. On top of the columns are four statues showing Mining, Agriculture, Industry and Commerce. Five homes had to be pulled down for it to be built. The Gran Vía road was only a plan at the time.

The statue on the dome

Originally the top held a statue of the mythical Phoenix with Ganymede sitting on its wing,. When the building was bought by Metrópolis Seguros in 1972, the previous owner took that statue away to its new headquarters, where it can still be seen in a garden in Paseo de la Castellana. The winged Victory statue replaced it. The new owner cleaned and restored the building, including a big façade restoration finished in 1996.

Fun facts

The winged Victory on its dome replaced a statue of a phoenix, which was taken down in 1972.
Its dome is covered with 30,000 leaves of 24-carat gold.
Four statues on the columns stand for mining, agriculture, industry and commerce.
The original phoenix statue now lives in a garden elsewhere in Madrid.
Many think Gran Vía starts here, but the real start is a building next door.