a unique door, a 3D printed vase and a hidden portrait

“We had to carry out major demolitions of elements that covered the original ceilings, floors and walls while we restored the coffered ceiling with a brushstroke,” explains Raúl del Cerro, head of works, maintenance and space management at Telefónica, who led a team of more than 30 experts – “the same ones who were in charge of the Alhambra and the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela,” boasts Del Cerro – and nearly 600 professionals who completed the renovation of the renamed Espacio Movistar in a record time of seven months.

Entering the renovated interior of the Gran Vía, the 28 now commands the Fourth Façade, a large mobile screen that opens onto the new Map Room – named after the restored mural of 1930s Spain that reigns in the room –, a space that connects the store with the Telefónica Foundation for the first time. Just opposite is the building’s new grand set, equipped with the latest reality technology and with views of Madrid’s Broadway thanks to the opening of all the large windows of the façade, previously covered with LED screens.

A hidden portrait

Visitors (and customers) looking up at the ceiling will now be able to enjoy the more than 6,000 m2 of recently restored coffered ceiling. “We discovered that the painter who painted these frescoes, Agustín Espí Carbonell, left a self-portrait of himself in a small corner. When we discussed it within the company, an employee wrote to tell us that we had discovered the signature of her grandfather, who was a reference in frescoes and paintings from the early twenties, who painted all the great palaces of the time,” Del Cerro explains enthusiastically.

220 square metres of original floors and 2,000 square metres of marble that covered the walls and columns of what is still the telephone exchange for customers in the heart of Madrid were also recovered. “We discovered that the quarry where they came from is still open in Alicante and is run by the great-grandchildren of those who took care of the original stones. When we visited them, they said to us: ‘Are they for the Telefónica building on Gran Vía? My grandfather told us a lot about him. So, everything we needed, we replaced with the original vein,” explains Del Cerro.

They also repaired the centenary lamp, now located in its original place in the central axis of the building, the bronze and brass clock in the atrium and a vase that was missing its twin, which they recreated using 3D printing technology. “We still want to save a few more elements, such as the fence that was at the centenary door, the structure that frames the large mobile screen. And then we also have two lamps like the one at the entrance that we plan to restore, because we don’t want them to take away its visibility,” predicts the project manager.

On the first floor, once again bordered by 120 meters of recently restored historic gates, the new features are more technological: two completely new and soundproofed studios, available to any Madrilenian, to record any type of content overlooking the Gran Vía. In total, the most frequented place will be the new cafeteria, with large windows opening onto the Belén Moneo staircase that presides over the entrance to the Telefónica Foundation, Fuencarral Street and the Gran Vía. A privileged space to not lose the pulse of the heart of the capital.