Palace of the Marquis of Linares

This 19th-century palace, located in the Plaza de Cibeles, is the current headquarters of the Casa de América. Construction began in 1877 to serve as the residence of the Marquesses of Linares, who lived in the palace from 1884, although the interior decoration was not fully completed until 1900.

The building was designed by Carlos Colubí, Adolf Ombrecht, and Manuel Aníbal Álvarez. It consists of four floors (basement, mezzanine, main floor, and third floor) plus a sub-basement. The decoration draws inspiration from various styles, ranging from the luxurious Louis XV and Louis XVI to the pompous Rococo and the austere Louis Philippe.

All the rooms are decorated with exquisite taste: tapestries from the Gobelins Manufactory, ceilings adorned with abundant gilding and mythological paintings, floors of exotic woods, French lamps, carpets from the Royal Tapestry Factory, silks from China for the Oriental Salon, and various panels decorated with rich embroidered fabrics. Its façade combines decorative elements of French and Italian styles. The quality of its marble and murals, as well as the richness of its fabrics and carpets, bronzes, lamps, mosaics, and woodwork, make it one of the best-preserved examples of 19th-century architecture in Spain.