Perhaps this is the most photographed building in Madrid, few can boast such a resounding presence. It was commissioned by the La Unión y el Fénix insurance company. In 1904, the company wanted to anticipate municipal plans for the opening of the Gran Vía. A piece of land was chosen, not very large, but with a strategic location, there was what was popularly known as “House of the Coffin”, a very narrow plot where five houses were located between Alcalá Street and Caballero de Gracia Street. The houses were demolished, leaving space free for the construction of the building. The competition was awarded to French architects Jules y Raymond Fevrier, the works began in 1907, although it was a Spaniard, Luis Esteve Fernández-Caballero who finished them in 1910. It was inaugurated on January 21, 1911.

We would all say that the Gran Vía begins in the Metropolis Building. But its address is Calle de Alcalá 39. Actually the first building on Gran Vía, number 1, is the Grassy Building.

At 45 meters high, it became the tallest building in Madrid. Until 1921, the construction of the Palace of the Press on the Gran Vía with its 58 meters it took his place.

Reinforced cement was used to build it, a technique that would become common since then. Neo-Renaissance style, it is adorned with Corinthian columns and entablatures that serve as pedestals for allegorical statues of Commerce, Agriculture, Industry and Mining. The façade is made up of 11 sculptural groups, the main one, located at the foot of the dome, was sculpted by Mariano Benlliure while the rest are the work of sculptors Saint Marceaux y L. Lambert. Its most characteristic element is its circular tower that is crowned by a slate dome with gold inlays, in the Pompier style. It was crowned by a bronze statue representing Ganymede on a Phoenix, the work of the French sculptor. Charles René de Saint-Marceaux. In 1972 another insurer bought the building, Metrópolis from which it takes its current name. The sculpture left with the former owners and today we can see it on Paseo de la Castellana number 33 in the gardens of the Mutua Madrileña headquarters, while a replica crowns the building.

In 1972, Federico Coullaut Valera, performed the winged victory that currently crowns the tower. A curiosity to finish, at night it offers a fantastic image, which is achieved thanks to the lighting of 205 projectors placed to enhance the spectacular night view of the Metropolis Building.

A abrazo.