Palacio de la Aduana (Málaga)
Encyclopedia
The Palacio de la Aduana ("Customs Palace") is a building in Málaga
, Andalusia
, Spain
, originally a customs house for the Port of Málaga
.
The building was proposed by Manuel Martín Rodríguez in 1787 and approved by Charles III of Spain
. Work began in 1791 under the direction of administrador general of Customs Pedro Ortega Monroy and architects Miguel del Castillo and Ildefonso Valcárcel, who designed the principal façade and floor plans. Work was still under way in 1810 when the building was sacked during the occupation of Málaga by French
forces during the Peninsular War
; after the war, damage was repaired and construction continued. Architect Pedro Nolasco Ventura made various modifications to the plans, and the building was completed in 1829.
The Neoclassical
building was modeled on Renaissance
Italian palaces. Four corridors or bays surround a central patio
that is portico
ed for the lower two floors; then set back on the third floor, where there is an open gallery with an openwork balustrade functioning as a parapet
; between sections of the parapet are Roman
busts
atop low walls. The building has bossed
exterior walls; towering palm trees that flank the main façade.
Originally a customs house, it later served in the later 19th century as the Real Fábrica de Tabaco (Royal Tobacco Factory), as the seat of the city government, and as the Subdelegation of the Spanish Government in the Province of Málaga beginning in the Franco
era, and was later used also by the Policía Nacional. As of 2004, it was being used by the Subdelegation, and the Policía Nacional, and to store the collection of the Fine Arts section of the Museo de Málaga
, which lost its previous site in the Buenavista Palace
when that was taken over by the Museo Picasso Málaga
.
The original roof was destroyed by a fire in the tobacco factory era. On 25–26 April 1922, while functioning as the seat of the government, the building experienced a terrible fire. The wooden staircases to the top floor caught fire; at the time, there were 70 government functionaries living on that floor. 28 people died, and years of archives were destroyed.
The building is currently (as of 2010) used on a provisional basis by the Museo de Málaga, which is currently open only for temporary exhibitions. The Ministry of Culture has hired the construction firm Sacyr Vallehermoso
to rehabilitate the building for permanent museum use, following the designs of architects Fernando Pardo, Bernardo García Tapia, and Ángel Pérez Mora. The project is budgeted at 23.6 million euro
s. The museum is projected to open in 2012.
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, originally a customs house for the Port of Málaga
Port of Málaga
The Port of Málaga is an international seaport located in the city of Málaga in southern Spain, on the Costa del Sol coast of the Mediterranean. It is the oldest continuously-operated port in Spain and one of the oldest in the Mediterranean....
.
The building was proposed by Manuel Martín Rodríguez in 1787 and approved by Charles III of Spain
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
. Work began in 1791 under the direction of administrador general of Customs Pedro Ortega Monroy and architects Miguel del Castillo and Ildefonso Valcárcel, who designed the principal façade and floor plans. Work was still under way in 1810 when the building was sacked during the occupation of Málaga by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
forces during the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
; after the war, damage was repaired and construction continued. Architect Pedro Nolasco Ventura made various modifications to the plans, and the building was completed in 1829.
The Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
building was modeled on Renaissance
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
Italian palaces. Four corridors or bays surround a central patio
Patio
A patio is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is typically paved. It may refer to a roofless inner courtyard of the sort found in Spanish-style dwellings or a paved area between a residence and a garden....
that is portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
ed for the lower two floors; then set back on the third floor, where there is an open gallery with an openwork balustrade functioning as a parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
; between sections of the parapet are Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
busts
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
atop low walls. The building has bossed
Bossage
Bossage is uncut stone that is laid in place in a building, projecting outward from the building, to later be carved into decorative moldings, capitals, arms, etc...
exterior walls; towering palm trees that flank the main façade.
Originally a customs house, it later served in the later 19th century as the Real Fábrica de Tabaco (Royal Tobacco Factory), as the seat of the city government, and as the Subdelegation of the Spanish Government in the Province of Málaga beginning in the Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
era, and was later used also by the Policía Nacional. As of 2004, it was being used by the Subdelegation, and the Policía Nacional, and to store the collection of the Fine Arts section of the Museo de Málaga
Museo de Málaga
The Museo de Málaga is a museum in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. Formed in 1973, it brought together the former Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes , born in 1913, and Museo Arqueológico Provincial , born in 1947...
, which lost its previous site in the Buenavista Palace
Buenavista Palace (Málaga)
Buenavista Palace is a historical edifice in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. It was built in the first half of the 16th centuryJavier Arroyo, , El País 2000-06-09, accessed online 2010-01-16, says 1530., Diario Sur, 2007-08-02, accessed online 2010-01-17, says the first quarter of the 16th century.,...
when that was taken over by the Museo Picasso Málaga
Museo Picasso Málaga
The Museo Picasso Málaga is a museum in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain, the city where artist Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born. One of the world's many Picasso museums, it opened in 2003 in the Buenavista Palace, and has 155 works donated by members of Picasso's family...
.
The original roof was destroyed by a fire in the tobacco factory era. On 25–26 April 1922, while functioning as the seat of the government, the building experienced a terrible fire. The wooden staircases to the top floor caught fire; at the time, there were 70 government functionaries living on that floor. 28 people died, and years of archives were destroyed.
The building is currently (as of 2010) used on a provisional basis by the Museo de Málaga, which is currently open only for temporary exhibitions. The Ministry of Culture has hired the construction firm Sacyr Vallehermoso
Sacyr Vallehermoso
Sacyr Vallehermoso is a leading Spanish construction company based in Madrid. It is publicly-traded and is part of the IBEX 35 market value-weighted stock market index.-History:...
to rehabilitate the building for permanent museum use, following the designs of architects Fernando Pardo, Bernardo García Tapia, and Ángel Pérez Mora. The project is budgeted at 23.6 million euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s. The museum is projected to open in 2012.