José López Sallaberry Facts for Kids

López Sallaberry; from La Ilustración Financiera (around 1904)

José López Sallaberry (born December 16, 1858, in Madrid; died June 22, 1927, in Madrid) was a Spanish architect and urbanist. An urbanist is someone who plans how cities are built and organized. He was known for his unique building style called Neoplateresca.

Life and Work
Selected Projects
See also

Life and Work

José López Sallaberry started studying architecture in 1875. He became a certified architect in 1881. In 1888, he helped prepare the land for what is now the Cementerio de la Almudena, a large cemetery.

Famous Buildings

He designed many well-known buildings. Some of his most famous works include the Edificio ABC Serrano [es] (built in 1894). He also designed two theaters: the Teatro El Dorado [es] and the Teatro Fontalba [es]. These buildings show his varied style. After a big fire in 1915, he helped restore the front of the Teatro de la Comedia [es].

Two of his buildings, the Casino de Madrid and the Banco Hispano America, are very important. They are considered "Spanish Properties of Cultural Interest." This means they are protected because of their historical or artistic value. In 1904, he became a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, a famous art academy.

City Planning Projects

José López Sallaberry was also a very important city planner. His most famous city planning work was helping to design the first layout of the Gran Vía in Madrid. He worked on this huge project with Francisco Andrés Octavio [es] from 1905 until he passed away. He also managed moving the famous Fuente de Cibeles [es] fountain to where it stands today.

Personal Life

He was married to María Monasterio, and they had three daughters. José López Sallaberry died at his home on Calle de la Montera. He was buried in the Saint Isidore Cemetery.