Casa Sindical

The Casa Sindical (the "Syndical House")^[1] is a building in Madrid, Spain. It currently hosts the headquarters of the Ministry of Health of Spain.

Casa Sindical
General information
Location	Cortes, Madrid
Address	Paseo del Prado, 20
Country	Spain
Construction started	1949
Completed	1951
Inaugurated	27 October 1955
Height	60 m
Technical details
Floor count	16
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Francisco de Asís Cabrero Rafael de Aburto

History

The contest guidelines for the draft project, convened by Fermín Sanz Orrio, the then national delegate of trade unions of FET y de las JONS, were published in April 1949.^[2] The project was finally entrusted ex-aequo to Francisco de Asís Cabrero and Rafael de Aburto.^[3] Finished in 1951,^[4] some dependencies were opened in July 1955, taking advantage of the celebration of the III National Congress of Workers.^{[5][n. 1]} It was formally inaugurated by Francisco Franco on 27 October 1955.^[6]

Description

Located in front of the Prado Museum, it features a central prismatic 16-floor brick tower,^[7] that reaches a 60-metre height.^[8] The landmark symbolically marked the acceptance of modern architecture by the Francoist regime in terms of architectural language, straying away from previous traditionalist aesthetics.^[9] It has often been linked to the works of Italian Fascist architect Giuseppe Terragni.^[10]

Notes

1. José Antonio Girón de Velasco, the Falangist minister of Labour, declared then 'this modern and arrogant tower, claims to the 4 poles of the horizon that the "Movement" is in movement'.^[5]