The Metropolis Building is the domed corner building where Calle de Alcalá meets the start of Gran Vía in Madrid, the view on half the postcards of the city. It opened in 1911 as the headquarters of the insurance company La Unión y el Fénix, and its dark dome, trimmed with gold leaf, carries a bronze Winged Victory that has stood there since 1977.
The Metropolis Building at a glance
- Where: Calle de Alcalá 39, on the corner with Gran Vía, a few minutes' walk from Plaza de Cibeles and Puerta del Sol.
- Built: 1907–1911; work began on 4 June 1907 and the building opened on 21 January 1911.
- By: the French architects Jules and Raymond Février, winners of an international competition held by La Unión y el Fénix.
- What it is today: since early 2026 it houses Club Metrópolis, a private members' club with a 19-room hotel and restaurants. The ground floor is open to everyone; the upper floors and the roof are for members and hotel guests.
- Time needed: 10–15 minutes outside, longer if you stop for a drink at street level.
From the phoenix to the Winged Victory
La Unión y el Fénix bought the plot in 1905, and five houses between Calle de Alcalá and Calle del Caballero de Gracia were pulled down to make room. The company wanted a headquarters that would work as an advertisement, so it held an international competition, which the Février brothers from France won ahead of Spanish rivals. Construction started in June 1907, before Gran Vía existed: work on the new avenue only began in 1910, so for a few years the building stood guard over a boulevard that was still being cut through the old streets.
On top of the dome the company placed its emblem, a bronze group by the French sculptor René de Saint-Marceaux showing Ganymede riding a phoenix. In 1972 the building was sold to the insurer Metrópolis, whose name it still carries. The phoenix belonged to the old owner, so it was taken down and moved to La Unión y el Fénix's new offices on Paseo de la Castellana. Its replacement, the Victoria Alada by Federico Coullaut-Valera, was lifted onto the dome on 11 October 1977. After decades of insurance offices, the building was converted and reopened in late January 2026, a week after its 115th birthday, as a private club and boutique hotel.
What to look for
- The dome: dark slate scales with gilded garlands and ribs; around 30,000 sheets of 24-carat gold leaf are said to have been used.
- The Winged Victory: a bronze figure about 6 metres tall and weighing some three tonnes, roughly twice as heavy as the phoenix group it replaced.
- The four allegorical statues standing above the columns of the upper floors, which represent Mining, Agriculture, Industry and Commerce.
- The rounded corner: the façade curves like the prow of a ship to fill the narrow wedge between the two streets, with tall paired columns rising through the upper storeys.
- The contrast with its neighbour: the Edificio Grassy across Gran Vía has its own small round tower, and the two domes frame the entrance to the avenue.
Not quite on Gran Vía
Most people think of the Metropolis as the first building on Gran Vía, and it does mark the start of the avenue. Its official address, though, is Calle de Alcalá 39. The first number on Gran Vía belongs to the Edificio Grassy on the opposite corner, so the most photographed building on the avenue technically stands on another street.
Tips for your visit
- For the classic view, look up from Calle de Alcalá on the Cibeles side, or from a rooftop: the terrace of the Círculo de Bellas Artes next door is the best known.
- Come around sunset or after dark, when the gilding catches the light and the dome is lit up.
- Traffic at this junction is heavy. Use the pedestrian crossings for photos rather than stepping into the road.
- Combine it with a walk up Gran Vía towards Plaza de Callao, or down Calle de Alcalá to Cibeles and the Prado.
Nearby
- Círculo de Bellas Artes: the arts centre right next door on Calle de Alcalá, with a rooftop terrace and a statue of Minerva on top.
- Plaza de Cibeles: the fountain of the goddess Cybele and the white Palacio de Cibeles, now Madrid's city hall, a few minutes' walk down Alcalá.
- Gran Vía: Madrid's early-20th-century boulevard of theatres, cinemas and grand façades, leading up to the Telefónica building and Plaza de Callao.
- Puerta del Sol: the city's central square, with the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, a short walk along Calle de Alcalá.
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Facts checked in October 2026.