The luxurious BBVA bank building, located in the center of Recoletos Boulevard, once belonged to the Marquis of Salamanca – a man of quite extraordinary abilities, after whom, in fact, the Salamanca district, considered one of the most elegant in the city, is named.
During the large-scale reconstruction of the city, which took place in the second half of the 19th century, this area was being rebuilt as an aristocratic district. The project was personally headed by the Marquis of Salamanca. On 100 hectares of land purchased in the area of Recoletos Avenue, he planned to build 350 three-story houses, with an inner courtyard, a "patio," and a garden inside each block.
However, when the first mansions are built, Salamanca will face a grand failure. After a hurricane that passed through Madrid, one of the houses begins to tilt. Rumors spread through the city that the marquis is using low-quality materials in construction, that the houses are unreliable, that no one wants to invest in their construction, let alone live in them. Salamanca makes a desperate but extremely effective move. During a visit to one of the houses, he exclaims: "If these houses are built so badly, it is better to burn them!" Saving his reputation, he destroys all the real estate that has just been created.
Later, the mansions will, of course, be rebuilt, and so reliably that most of them will stand to this day. Be sure to stroll along Serrano Street, which runs parallel to Recoletos Avenue – the "golden mile" of Madrid. This thoroughfare perfectly reflects all the beauty and grandeur of the aristocratic district project in Madrid conceived by the Marquis of Salamanca.
