La Casa de las Flores

At the crossroads of Hilarión Eslava and Rodríguez San Pedro streets stands the so-called Casa de las Flores, a unique residential building designed by Secundino Zuazo in 1931. It is not visible from the outside, but the whole complex is articulated around three courtyards. What is striking are the wide landscaped corridors that overlook the street and for which it received this name.

The small history of the house includes the stay of the Chilean poet and diplomat Pablo Neruda when he arrived in Spain in 1934. During the Civil War it was used as a warehouse, prison and barracks for the Republican troops. Due to its proximity to the Moncloa front, it was badly damaged. It was restored in the 1940s, respecting the original plans.

A simple monument was installed on the façade of the ground floor, commemorating Nerudas passing with a phrase: Mi casa era la llamada Casa de las Flores (My house was the so-called Casa de las Flores). The Madrid City Council placed it there in 1981, when the building was declared a national monument.

Text and photos by the Chronicler of the City of Madrid Antonio Castro Jiménez