Beti Jai fronton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Beti Jai fronton
Location	Madrid, Spain
Spanish Property of Cultural Interest
Official name: Frontón Beti Jai
Type	Non-movable
Criteria	Monument
Designated	27 January 2011
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The Beti Jai fronton is a special sports building in Madrid, Spain. It's a type of court used for a game called Basque pelota.

This building is located at 7 Marqués de Riscal Street. It was built in 1893 and opened in 1894. The last game played here was in 1919. After that, it was used for many different things.

The Beti Jai fronton is the only one of its kind from the 1800s left in Madrid. It was declared an important cultural site on January 27, 2011. The building was fully fixed up and made new again in 2019.

History of Beti Jai

Beti Jai fronton, an old picture from the 1800s.

Building the fronton started in 1893. It cost about 500,000 old Spanish pesetas. The design was made by an architect named Joaquín Rucoba. He also designed other famous buildings in Spain.

The Beti Jai was the fourth open-air fronton built in Madrid. This was a time when Basque pelota was very popular in the city. Other frontons like Jai Alai and Fiesta Alegre were built before it.

The Beti Jai fronton opened on April 29, 1894. It was used for games until 1919. During the Spanish Civil War, it became a police station. Later, it was used for musical bands to practice.

In the middle of the 1900s, a car company called Citroën bought it. They used it as a place to fix cars.

In 1997, a company from the Basque Country bought it. They wanted to use it for sports again. Later, another company took over the property.

On January 27, 2011, the Beti Jai fronton was officially named a "Bien de Interés Cultural." This means it's a very important historical building.

In 2010, the city of Madrid started a process to buy the building. They finished buying it in 2015 for 7 million euros. After that, they began a big project to fix it up. The restoration work was finished in 2019.

What Beti Jai Looks Like

A look at the inside wall of the Beti Jai Fronton. Before (left) and after (right) it was fixed up in 2019.

The Beti Jai Fronton is at 7 Calle del Marqués de Riscal. This is close to the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid's Chamberí area. The building covers a large area of 3,609 square meters. The total built space is 10,800 square meters.

It has different building styles. The front of the building is Eclectic. Some parts inside show the Neo-Mudéjar style. There's also a lot of Cast-iron architecture, which was common in the 1800s.

The main part of the fronton is an outdoor court. It is 67 meters long, 20 meters wide, and 11 meters high. Around the court are the stands where people can sit. These stands curve around the eastern and southern sides of the court.

The grandstand can hold up to 4,000 people. It has four levels. These levels have balconies with railings inside. Wooden stairs connect the levels. The stands are held up by a strong structure of wrought iron columns and beams. Some beams are curved to make the stands slope. There are also old paintings called frescoes on the roofs.

On the western side of the court, there is a curved wall built in the Neo-Mudéjar style.

Other Beti Jai Frontons

There were other frontons also called Beti Jai in other Spanish cities. These include Barcelona, San Sebastián, and Logroño. The one in San Sebastián later became a theater. It was destroyed in a fire in 1913.

See also

In Spanish: Frontón Beti Jai para niños