Architecture of Melilla

The architecture in the Spanish city of Melilla responds to various typologies and models, from fortification techniques, from the 16th to the 19th centuries, to modern and contemporary architectures, from the 19th century, but especially during the 20th century, among which the modernist architecture, with other architectural currents that precede and continue, that make the African city the Spanish city with the largest representation of modernism after Barcelona and the largest representation of modernism in Africa, with more than a thousand listed buildings that are part of the Set Artistic History of the City of Melilla, aWell of Cultural Interest, and are distributed throughout the central Ensanche and its neighborhoods.

Melilla La Vieja
It was built between the 16th and 19th centuries, following models that go from the Renaissance to the bastions of the Spanish-Flemish school that was built during the Bourbon period. It has, therefore, a walled city originally built by Italian engineers and later by Spaniards and professionals from the Netherlands.

In the 18th century, its walls were reformed and a series of bastions and buildings were built that reflected the interest of the Spanish kings for their defense.

Door of Santiago
Front of Earth
Front of Trapani
Front of the Navy
Door of the Navy
San Francisco Hospital and Apothecary
Hospital of the King (Melilla)
Moat of the Hornabeque

Strong external
They are a set of fortifications, strong not connected to each other and quite distant from each other, built in the second half of the nineteenth century in a neomedieval style rather funny than threatening, overflowing with beauty that in some cases, being painted live colors, like orange, make them forget their defensive function, more like elements of games and fun than defensive structures.

They are built with stone from the area for the walls and bricks brick for the arches and vaults, with obsolete fortification techniques, unable to face the modern artillery, as the Riffa kabylas, the enemy they had to defend Melilla did not have artillery.

Historicisms
Almost all public buildings, spaces of cults.

The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1911-1918), the chapel of the Hospital of the Red Cross, present parish of San Francisco Javier (Melilla) (1926-1927), the chapel of the Christ the King (1939-1941), the square de toros (1946-1947), the military chapel (1920-1923), the chapel of San Juan Bautista (1927), the former Colegio del Buen Consejo, the parish of the Miraculous Medal, the house of Joaquín Burillo, the Gaselec building and the house of José Alcaine Díaz (1949) or neo-Arabs, such as the Buen Acuerdo Mosque(1927) or the central mosque, with the nearby fountain of Bombillo, the house of Yamín Benarroch that houses the Or Zaruah synagogue, as well as other public buildings, hotels such as the Gran Hotel Reina Victoria, current house of the Crystals, social centers Casino Military, Cultural Center of the Armies and hospitals building of the old School of Artistic Arts and Crafts

Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Castrense Chapel
Former College of Good Advice
Gaselec Building
Central Mosque
Bulb Source
House of the Crystals

Eclecticisms
The eclecticist is another one based on mixing elements, alternating them and increasing the ornamentation, with greater wealth of forge and appearance of flown cornices, emphasizing Droctoveo Castañón, house of Carmen Balaca and headquarters of the North African Company and José de la Gándara, the Grupo Escuelas Mixtas, current headquarters of the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Autonomous City of Melilla, the Metropol building, the building of the Port Authority of Melilla and the Polygon market.

Metropol Building
Group of Mixed Schools Alfonso XIII
Building of the Port Authority of Melilla
Polygon Market

Modernism

Enrique Nieto
He is the introducer of modernism in Melilla. Although what defines the Melilla architecture best is modernism, a true continuation of the Rococo, with a very rich ornamentation, of infinite and suggestive shapes and varied colors.

The House of Manuel Buxedas Aupi (1910-1911), the House of Antonio Baena Gómez (1910), Furniture La Reconquista (Circa 1910), the former Casa Basilio Paraíso (1910-1912), the House of José Guardiola (1910), the Spanish Casino (1911), General Prim, Sor Alegría, 6 (1911), the House of José Mascaró Rafols and Julia Iturralde (1911) the House of Baths (1912-1913), the old writing of El Telegrama del Rif (1912-1913), the Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation (1913-1914) with the trio of theFormer Military Commissary, popularly known as Casa Tortosa (1914-1915), the Old Department Stores the Reconquest (1915-1917) and the David J. Melul House (1915-1917), the flower of modernism uses it in the House by J. Barciela, Casa Meliveo (1920), the House of José Zea and Manuel Alvadalejo, the components of the Manzana de la Concordia, the House of Miguel Gómez Morales (1927-1928), the House of Lázaro Torres (1928- 1929), the nearby House of Juan Montes Hoyo, popularly known as Casa La Pilarica (1928-1929),House of the widow of Antonio Ibancos, the Old Bank of Bilbao, the House of José Guardiola, the House of Vicente Martínez (1931-1932), the House of Juan Florido Santos and Lázaro Torres García (1928-1929), the House of José García Álvaro, better known as Casa El Acueducto (1928-1930), the Almacenes Juan Montes Hoyo, the Kursaal Theater (1930), the Teatro-Cine Perelló (1926-1932)

Old writing of El Telegrama del Rif
Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation
Furniture The Reconquest
Former Military Commissary
Old Department Stores the Reconquest
David J. Melul House
House of José Zea and Manuel Alvadalejo
House of José García Álvaro
House of Miguel Gómez Morales
House of Juan Montes Hoyo
Old Bank of Bilbao

Emilio Alzugaray
The military engineer Emilio Alzugaray develops a very academic work, with animal details. He is the author of the Casa de Julia Alcalde, also called Casa de los Elefantes (1913), Casa de las Fieras (1914), the House of Solomon Cohen (1915), the Territorial Directorate of Education (1915), the Colegio de los Hermanos de the Christian Schools, current School La Salle el Carmen, (1916-1918), the House of Julián Argos, the House of José Morely 1916-1917), the House of Francisco Bueno (1917), the House of the Widow of Samuel Salama (1916 and theHouse of Argos (1916).

College of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
House of Solomon Cohen
House of the Beasts
José Morely’s house
House of the Widow of Samuel Salama

Art deco
This masterpiece is the Monumental Cinema Sport (1930-1932).

Enrique Nieto
Development of the zigzag art deco, quite close to modernism, with works such as the Palace of the Assembly (1932) by Enrique Nieto, author of the House of Enrique Nieto (1930-1932), Casa Carcaño (1934-1935), the House of Jacques EskEnazi Aguilerun (1936-1938), the Deputy Council to the Presidency (1943-1944), the Chalet Ben Jeloun (1943), the House of Josefa Botella Segarra (1935-1936), the House of Rafael Rico Albert (1935), the Real Market (1932-1940), the Annex of the Monumental Cinema Sport (1935-1936) and the Red Building(1935-1936), as well as a variant of the sgraffito, whose maximum exponent was the House of Ahmed Ben Taleb, (1933) and the aerodynamic building located in Calle Villegas.

Palace of the Assembly
Red Building,
Enrique Nieto’s house
Casa Carcaño
House of Rafael Rico Albert,
Mercado del Real

Francisco Hernanz
On the other hand, Francisco Hernanz who relizço zigzagging works as the House of Jacinto García Marfil, (1932), developed the aerodynamic art deco, with sober lines and almost without any decoration, as the House of Luis Raya (1935), the House of Abraham Benatar, the House of Bertila Seoane and the Parres House.

Rationalism
Quite sober, with geometric decorations with works such as the Bank of Spain building (Melilla), the post office building in Melilla and the house of Amrram J. Wahnony.

Bank of Spain building
Melilla Post Office Building
House of Amrram J. Wahnon

Industrial architecture
There is also an industrial architecture, with the Mercado de Hierro del Mantelete and the whole of the power plant, the bridge, the viaduct, the deposits and the iron ore loading of the Spanish Company of Minas del Rif.

Bridge of the Mineral
Viaduct of the CEMR
Mineral stores of the CEMR

Modern architecture

Abdelkader Street
Old Palace of Justice
Centennial V Towers
Chacel Building
Torres V Centenario and Chacel Building

Source from Wikipedia