Edificio España

The Edificio España is the 8th tallest building in Madrid, Spain, and one of the city's most iconic buildings. It is an example of 20th-century Spanish architecture built in the neo-baroque style. In June 2017, the Spanish RIU Hotels chain acquired the building, with plans to reopen it as a hotel in 2019.HistoryEarly historyIt was designed by architect Julián Otamendi and his brother in the Neo-baroque style and constructed from 1948 to 1953. It was a "symbol of prosperity" during the decades of Francisco Franco's Spain.It was the tallest building in Spain, with 25 floors and a height of 117m, until overtaken by the Torre de Madrid (also built by Otamendi) in 1957. The building formerly housed the 360-room Hotel Plaza (later the Crowne Plaza Madrid City Centre), 300 offices, 184 apartments, a shopping centre, and a rooftop pool. Its profile, on Plaza de España at the end of the Gran Vía, complements the neighboring skyscraper Torre de Madrid, making the pair important architectural landmarks in the city.Metrovacesa, which owned the structure since its completion, marketed it in April 2005 along with the neighboring Torre de Madrid to help finance its acquisition of French property company, Gecina.