The Beti-Jai fronton has permanently reopened its doors to the public this Holy Thursday at 10 a.m., after almost a century since it hosted its last ball game. This building, the last pediment left in the capital, has been recovered by the City Council so that Madrid residents can appreciate its eclectic architecture.
Santiago Huertas, the center’s guide, explained that it is reopening “after 130 years of history” and having been closed for “more than 100 years.” Likewise, he expresses the desire “that the public of Madrid and visitors know and learn the history of pelota in the fronton and how wonderful this sport was in the city.”
The construction has four floors with continuous balconies. In this, the neo-Mudejar style, present in its arches, is combined with the iron architecture in its goldwork railings, where 100 years ago “they could accommodate up to 4,000 spectators” in the matches they hosted.
“We are in an industrial pediment from the end of the 19th century, monumental, with capacity for 4,000 spectators. It is one of the most spectacular pediments that existed at the time and the only one since the 19th century that is still standing with a long history,” Huertas stated.
But this only lasted three years, as the Beti-Jai would mutate over the decades. First, “converting into a Citröen workshop or a Harley Davidson dealership.” Likewise, he witnessed how the inventor Leonardo Torres Quevedo gave birth to the airship or the telequino – the first precursor of the remote control -. Finally, it became the home of some Madrid residents, as reflected in the film Madrid by Basilio Martín Patino.
“It has gone through many stages. It has been used to hold musical shows, military instructions or aeronautical laboratories. As well as to hold political rallies or even union meetings,” the guide specified.
With the passage of time, this pediment from 1894, located in the Chamberí district, was recognized as a National Monument (1991) and as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) in 2011. In 2015, the City Council expropriated it and began the process to to be able to rehabilitate it and open it to the people of Madrid.
In a first phase, to provide information about this cultural asset, guided tours will be offered every day. It will also be open to the public for free visits on weekends, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the morning, and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the afternoon. In addition, it will have a team of cultural mediators and assistants available to visitors.
Some of the activities that can be carried out are interactive itineraries for families, as well as guided tours. However, they must register in advance on the website. In the latter, you can find the history of Beti-Jai, the recovery process and the program of activities that it will host.
On the other hand, throughout the third quarter of the year, an on-site interpretation center will be inaugurated that will narrate the history and future of the property. This will be open for free viewing from Tuesday to Sunday. During the months of July and August, guided tours and interactive itineraries will be closed, and will be reinstated in September with this new resource.
In parallel, the Area of ??Culture, Tourism and Sports will work on defining the new use plan for the property. Subsequently, the drafting and execution of the works project will be carried out, which will allow the old pediment to be converted into a new cultural infrastructure for the city.
