The restoration and rehabilitation works in the Villamejor Palace, current building of the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory and former headquarters of the Government between 1914 and 1977, have brought to light an aerial ‘bunker’ from the Second Republic, according to what has been discovered know Europa Press.
The discovery of this aerial ‘bunker’ has forced the headquarters of the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory to be temporarily moved from the Villamejor Palace, located on Paseo de la Castellana, to a building on Miguel Ángel Street in Madrid. .
The Ministry of Territorial Policy awarded the restoration, rehabilitation and reform works of the Villamejor Palace to the company Edhinor S.A. for an amount of 7.28 million euros and an execution period of 15 months.
The objective of the reform was to recover the original state of the palace and highlight the initial construction, with the removal of the elements foreign to the palace that have been incorporated into the property, in order to restore the entire façades and enclosures of the building, as well as recovering the exterior spaces (gardens and accesses) that are part of the complex.
The Marquis of Villamejor, Ignacio de Figueroa, decided to move his residence to Paseo de la Castellana and ordered the construction of this Palace, which was completed in December 1893. The project consisted of three facades and had a basement floor, throughout its entire length, the low setback above street level with an access staircase and main, second and attic floors.
The palace was sold to the Infant of Spain and widowed Prince of Asturias, Carlos de Borbón y Borbón, where he lived with his second wife, María Luisa de Orleans, between 1907 and 1914, a time in which his daughters Dolores and María de las Mercedes were born. and Hope. The second of these daughters was the mother of King Emeritus Juan Carlos I.
Carlos de Borbón transferred the building to the government of Alfonso XIII to install the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and in June 1914 a law was promulgated authorizing its acquisition.
According to the Ministry of Territorial Policy, the Council of Ministers chaired by Manuel Azaña during the Second Republic became famous. At this stage, its rooms were renovated with great luxury, they were upholstered in silk and decorated with chandeliers, paintings and furniture brought from the Riofrío palace.
It was Colonel Galarza who reopened its doors as the headquarters of the Undersecretariat of the Presidency of the Government, replaced in 1941 by Luis Carrero Blanco, during the period of the Franco dictatorship.
The architect Diego Méndez was in charge of the conservation of the Presidency of the Government since 1955. His first work consisted of a series of repairs, but in the following years he undertook a series of interior renovations without touching the main rooms.
This architect designed a pavilion that was to be attached to the south side, taking part of the garden of the old Engaña palace to expand the Library and Archive, which was ultimately not carried out.
The idea was taken up again in the last years of Carrero Blanco’s vice presidency, installing the cafeteria in the new pavilion. The Presidency of the Government services had grown so much that little by little other buildings were occupied, such as Castellana 5 and part of Alcalá Galiano 8, as well as other apartments in a nearby area.
With the death of Franco, the Villamejor Palace began a period of change of tenants and with this several renovations were made inside, and it currently houses the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory.
