ABC Museum, Mahou Brewery, Chimneys and other things

Impacting contrast. From the latest to the oldest.

 

The ABC museum café generates confronted feelings.

Its architectural design with pop art reminiscences from the sixties similar to the space station from the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey", highly contrasts with the old building Comendadoras Convent of Santiago", place where f.e. Velazquez, Quevedo where ordain "Santiago Orden" knights.

View from Museum Coffee shop, windows from the convent

 The cofee shop is a white walkway hanging from the Museum entrance courtyard

The museum is located in the building of the former brewery Mahou (1890). The entrance courtyard and inside the building was refurbished.

Outside, remains much of its original industrial aesthetic appearence.

Other part fron the building has been refurbished as apartments.

Entrance to the apartments .

 

This peculiar mixture of art museum, high tech cafe, nineteenth century brewery and medieval convent generates a unique space.

As a unknown and forgotten sculpture, the neighbourhood is decorated by the old chimney.

Houses and Chimney. On the righ we can see the convent

Church Convent Towers. At the back Montserrat Church Tower

The area is surrounded by tipical taverns. One of them is close to the old factory and is called "The Cangrejero". This tavern has the reputation for many years of having the longest beer coil from Madrid (180 meters and therefore, fresher beer). Also and as a myth maybe (or not) it was said that in the tavern was served the best Mahou beer from Madrid because of  having a pipe directly from the brewery.. The tavern founded in 1932 (unfortunately quite refurbished ) was frequented by José Ortega y Gasset as it is nearby the university .

The "Cangrejero"

All the surroundings are worth it to visit.

For more information:
-Museo ABC. Calle Amaniel nº 21.
http://museo.abc.es/
-Tabernas y tapas en Madrid. Carlos Osorio. Ediciones La Libreria
-Guia de Arquitectura de Madrid. Tomo I. Coam.

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