Casino de Madrid

Casino de Madrid
Exterior view in 2011
LocationMadrid, Spain
Coordinates40°25′04″N 3°42′01″W / 40.417777°N 3.700228°W / 40.417777; -3.700228
ArchitectJosé López Sallaberry
Official nameCasino de Madrid
TypeNon-movable
CriteriaMonument
Designated1993
Reference no.RI-51-0006877
Location of Casino de Madrid in Spain

The Casino de Madrid is currently located in Madrid, Spain on number 15 Calle de Alcalá. It was born as a social club in 1836, outside of politics and with the intention of being a place where its members could congregate in peace. It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1993.[1]

History

The year 1836 is the official start of the club's activities because it was then it was endowed, for the first time, with internal statutes and regulations. The Casino arose at a time in which the spirit of association was appearing in Europe.[2] This period was marked by the creation of new societies that abandoned the traditional 18th century institutional model based on enlightened academies that were created for the recreation of the upper classes.[3] The Casino had in its beginnings in several venues, all of them located throughout diverse premises in central Madrid. The name of the society also underwent changes, starting as simply Casino, later being designated Casino del Príncipe (due to its initial location on calle del Príncipe), until finally adopting the name "Casino de Madrid".[4] The austere decoration of the first Society location was replaced by progressively more elegant and luxurious locales. The birth of the Casino coincided with a political period of transition in which the liberal state arose in Spain from the Old Regime. Hence the Casino, being a liberal organization, became a model to follow in provincial capitals in the Spain of the late 19th century.[5]

It would not be until the year 1910 (after a long construction process that lasted five years) that it would move into its current headquarters on Calle de Alcalá, just when the casino was reaching a thousand members.[6] This casino venue is a richly decorated building that offers various luxury social services to its club members. The headquarters of the Casino became a space for the representation of the Madrid elite of the time, capable of generating social capital among its members.[5] The premises of Calle de Alcalá were, in short, a meeting point for the club members. At the end of the 20th century, it underwent a period of decline which was escaped by a rethinking in the management of the Society: The coexistence of the activity of the partners with private social activities managed by a concession company called Gran Círculo.[5] This company is in charge of the operation of some of the services of the Casino. In 1993 the building and its content were declared an Bien de Interés Cultural.[1] At present it is a space that hosts various social events, such as celebrations, conferences, and official visits. All of them coexisting with the society of current club members.

Architecture and building

The building of the Casino de Madrid, facing Calle de Alcalá, was designed in the early 20th century in a late eclectic style influenced by European Modernism.[8][9] It was conceived in 1903 as a prominent urban belvedere[6] and was designated a Bien de Interés Cultural in 1993.[1]

The exterior features a former carriage entrance with wrought-iron gates. Inside, the main architectural element is the Escalera de Honor (Grand Staircase), designed by José López Sallaberry and sculpted by Ángel García Díaz.[10][11] The building contains nine principal halls with a total capacity of about 1,200 people, including the Salón Real and the Puerta del Sol Hall, decorated by Antonio Gomar. Facilities also include dining rooms, billiard rooms, card rooms, a library, administrative offices, a gym, and sauna.[7] Interior decoration includes paintings by Emilio Sala, Cecilio Plá, Álvarez de Sotomayor and Romero de Torres, sculptures by Mateo Inurria and Mariano Benlliure, stained glass by Maumejean,[12][13] carpets from the Real Fábrica de Tapices, and furniture by Víctor Laborde, Robert Gillow and the jewellers Mellerio dits Meller.[14][15][16]

Membership

The Casino de Madrid was established as a private social club for the upper classes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[2] It originally operated as a male-only institution. Admission was restricted and based on a sponsorship system ("padrinazgo"), requiring nomination by an existing member.[17] Members are traditionally known as "casinistas". Full members ("socios de número") paid fees and held voting rights, while temporary members included foreign diplomats. During parliamentary sessions, non-resident members of the Senate of Spain and the Congress of Deputies were granted access.[5]

In the 19th century, the club employed a large domestic staff, with approximately one servant per 30 members in 1837 and one per 13 by 1860. Women were admitted as full members for the first time in 1987; previously, their access was limited to certain areas when accompanied. Corporate membership was later introduced, allowing legal entities to appoint representatives. The institution was modelled on British gentlemen’s clubs such as Boodle's and Brooks's. Its membership historically consisted mainly of figures from finance, politics, the military, journalism and law, forming influential elite social networks in Madrid.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Real Decreto 92/1993, de 21 de diciembre" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
  2. ^ a b Pro Ruiz, Juan (1995). "Las elites en la España liberal: clases y redes en la definición del espacio social (1808–1931)". Historia Social (21): 63–65.
  3. ^ Villacorta Baños, Francisco (2003). "Los Ateneos liberales: política, cultura y sociabilidad intelectual". Hispania (214): 415–442. doi:10.3989/hispania.2003.v63.i214.218. Archived from the original on 2017-12-02.
  4. ^ Zozaya Montes, María (2002). El Casino de Madrid, orígenes y primera andadura. Madrid: Casino de Madrid. ISBN 84-607-6150-9.
  5. ^ a b c d Zozaya Montes, María (2008). El Casino de Madrid: ocio, sociabilidad, identidad y representación social. Madrid: Universidad Complutense de Madrid. ISBN 978-84-692-0044-5.
  6. ^ a b Proyecto de Edificio para instalar el Casino de Madrid. Pliego de Condiciones para el Concurso entre arquitectos nacionales y extranjeros. Madrid: Establecimiento tipográfico de la Bolsa. 1903.
  7. ^ a b Álvarez, M. J. (2015-02-20). "La biblioteca privada del Casino de Madrid". ABC (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2025-02-23. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
  8. ^ Cruz, Santiago (1935). "Casinos, Sociedades y Centros Regionales de Madrid". Mundo Gráfico. Madrid.
  9. ^ San Antonio Gómez, Carlos de (1998). El Madrid del 98: Arquitectura para una crisis (1874–1918) (PDF) (in Spanish). Madrid: Comunidad de Madrid, Consejería de Educación y Cultura. ISBN 84-451-1485-9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-11-27. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  10. ^ Arévalo Cartagena, Juan Manuel (2004). "Un escultor para arquitectos: la obra de Ángel García". Goya: Revista de Arte (301–302): 289–306. ISSN 0017-2715.
  11. ^ Gómez, Noelia (2023-05-10). "Estas son las escaleras más impresionantes de Madrid: son auténticas obras de arte". El Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-01-14.
  12. ^ El café de las Flores. Colección Teatro (in Spanish). Vol. 86. Madrid: Ediciones Alfil. 1953. Archived from the original on 2026-01-13. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
  13. ^ Nieto Alcaide, Víctor; Aznar Almazán, Sagrario; Soto Caba, Victoria (2005). Vidrieras de Madrid: del modernismo al art déco (PDF). Comunidad de Madrid. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-08-07.
  14. ^ "Get Behind The Beauty Of The Casino de Madrid". Madrid Metropolitan. 29 August 2021. Archived from the original on 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
  15. ^ "Casino de Madrid interior elements and decoration". Madrid Film Office. 2023-05-11. Archived from the original on 2025-11-15. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
  16. ^ Navascués Palacio, Pedro (1978). El Casino de Madrid y la arquitectura de su tiempo. Madrid: Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid. pp. 61–79.
  17. ^ Zozaya, María (2014). "The shadow of Spanish Casino de Madrid". Historia Contemporánea (49): 499–536. ISSN 1130-2402. Archived from the original on 2024-03-30.
  18. ^ Serrano García, Rafael (2008). "Ocio y sociabilidad burgueses durante el franquismo. El ejemplo del Círculo de Recreo vallisoletano entre 1950 y 1980". Alcores (6): 177–202. ISSN 1886-8770.
  • Media related to Casino de Madrid at Wikimedia Commons
  • Official website (in Spanish)
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