Madrid Metro Engines Building

The headquarters office of Madrid underground: Metro are placed in Cavanilles street, back to a large complex of buildings belonging to the first Metro infrastructure, from the 20s on twentieth century.

The popular Engines Building stands out (nowadays a part of “Anden Zero” museum that also includes Chamberi station included as a post in this blog) Estación de Chamberi.

Antonio Palacios took charge of the building set design, consisting of the power station from line 1, warehouses, underground tanks, cooling tower, offices and chief engineer Villa..

Old Metro Headoffices building

The Engines Bulding has inside a powerful ship diesel engines built by the Sulzer factory in Switzerland (second hand bought in Germany) and transformers, with all the machinery and installation in perfect condition, that used to generate electricity, transformed and drove to the nearby subway tunnels, thus entering the service circuit Electric Range. It is a particularly interesting experience for engineers or interested in mechanical issues, as in the premises are great explanatory videos.

Electric Generator

Generators Set

All framed in a simple and functional spacecraft, but with the unmistakable mark of the architecture of Antonio Palacios: Windows, voids and volumes following the current Central European influences from the Viennese Secession, tiles, ceramic strips regionalist style....

Electric Generator and Scorecard

Metro's original symbol, scorecard and holes in Secession style.

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Secession style windows

 Tools oil supplies, pipes, wrenches are mantained ....

Oil

 On the façade, brick walls and pilasters, with plinth masonry and metal cover.

Entrada a la Nave de Motores

Fuel tanks are buried.

Fuel Tanks

Another unique element of the building set is the house of the chief engineer, who continues with the european aesthetics of the time, expressionism and secession style that Palacios used to like, showing his great knowledge of style to asessing the volumes according to the plane from it is perceived and strongly influenced by Otto Wagner.

Chief engineer - Valderribas st. Façade

Lantern Entrance to Villa

In front of them, remain a very interesting semi-abandoned warehouses, flamenco style, with stepped gables and with one of the few outdoors original symbols that are preserved.

Gable stepped to flamenco and original symbol Metro

In Cavanilles Street it is annexed the current Metro’s building offices, which clearly breaks the aesthetic.

Metro Headquarters Cavanilles St.

The set is located between Cavanilles ,Valderribas and Sanchez Barcáiztegui street. The museum entrance is in 49 of Valderribas st.. The abandoned warehouses are opposite. 

Anden 0 Museum Enrance


For more information:
-Página web museo Anden 0
http://www.esmadrid.com/anden0/

-90 años de metro en Madrid. Zamorano, Mohedas, Gallego, Bernal,Muñoz, Touzón,López. Ediciones La Libreria
-Antonio Palacios Constructor de Madrid. Catalogo Exposición Circulo de Bellas Artes
-Guia de arquitectura de Madrid.Tomo 2. Ensanches. Edita: Coam.
-Otto Wagner. Walter Zednicek
-Otto Wagner.edi: H.K.

Fotos y texto Álvaro Rey

CHAMBERI STATION

 CHAMBERI STATION, is a singular space, is the only completely original station of Metro de Madrid (Underground). Now has been converted in part of the museum called "Anden 0" (the other place of the museum: Nave de Motores de Pacifico-Pacifico engineering Place). The station is not in used.

 

The station maintains the design and furniture as the day it was closed (even used tickets and other objects of the time), so it could be seen as a time machine. Inaugurated in 1919, was closed in 1966. In the 60s, because the passenger traffic was increased, Metro decide introduce new higher capacity trains of six cars. They decided the closure of the station (in curve) because its location was proximity to Bilbao Station and Iglesia station.

 The lobby retains all original features: The main ticket office, the booster, the revision, the input control traveler, nestled steps and even the staff room


"Chamberi" serviced the first Metro line (linea 1). Its design, by architect Antonio Palacios, with colorists panels at lobbies, corridors and platforms, using ceramic panels and white and cobalt blue

The platforms, decorated with tiles, brings us back to another times with ceramic advertisements were below of paper advertisements used in the lasts years that the station was used.

Route information was lettered by hand on the wall. This allowed change information when expanding a station

 

 

Currently the trains do not stop at the station, but the trains cross it. Travelers line 1 can see it from the train.

The station was restored and recovered in 2006, according to the project of the architects Pau Soler and Miguel Rodriguez, performing full interior restoration and recovery of the original furniture and platforms, and the creation of a new access (modern design) because the original had disappeared

For more information:

Website museum "Anden 0": http://www.esmadrid.com/anden0/index.html

Catalogo de la exposición del Circulo de Bellas Artes: "Antonio Palacios: constructor de Madrid"

Text:Álvaro Rey

Photos: Manuel Rey/Álvaro Rey

Tirso de Molina/ Cuatro caminos: Original underground stations on Madrid

We inaugurate this site with two details of an essential figure of Madrid, figure that will appear again in next deliveries, the architect Antonio Palacios who is undoubtedly one of the main creators of the urban image of Madrid

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We refer in this occasion to the remains of two original stations of the opening of the Metro of Madrid in 1919, in particular the Tirso de Molina and Cuatro Caminos Stations. In both cases remains, in spite of the several refurbishs, part of the elements of the original stations.

Estación de Tirso de Molina / Tirso de Molina Station:

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In this case we find the original handrail of entry and part of the main lobby.

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The metro stations were designed one by one according to its situation. Three big types were projected: Main stations, with big templates including elevators (case of Sol and Red de San Luis), stations with granite balustrade and signpost announcer and the simplest ones with metallic handrails.

.Both stations previously referred are stations of the second case with a thick balustrade of polished granite and nowadays, unfortunately, with no post announcer which was beautifully decorated.Antonio Palacios designed a type of balustrade with little stylized and rectangular hollows very habitual in his buildings and with a strong expressionist influence and from the Viennese secession (Otto Wagner as main influencer). The rotundity, and in certain aspect rudeness how the granite is polished constitutes a point of strong esthetic personality.

Inside, we can see a rich variety of colors. The vault is covered of beveled white tile, with friezes of ceramics from Toledo, in golden reflex and copper. A shield of Madrid sticks out in the same line. It is a shame that there are no longer the original Ticket offices (we can see an example at the Chamberi Station, called today museum "Anden 0")

Estación de Cuatro caminos / Cuatro Caminos Station:

In this station we can also see another original balustrade although, unfortunately, no other original element remains.

The Metro of Madrid had a big personality from an architectural point of view, which is getting slightly lost in every refurbish. At the moment we have this small details left, in addition to the museum Anden 0 (nowadays Chamberí Station out of service).

For more information, we recommend the excellent catalog of Antonio Palacios exhibition realized by Circle of Bellas Artes in 2001. "Antonio Palacios: Constructor de Madrid" (“Madrid Builder”). Editions La librería

Texto: Álvaro Rey
Fotografías: Álvaro Rey /Manuel Rey