BBVA possesses outstanding examples of Spanish bank architecture. In fact the first such building in Spain is the San Nicolas palace in Bilbao (1868). The basic functions of a bank building are to safeguard money, to provide efficient service to customers and to transmit a solid image. Their design therefore reflects these functions. Up to 1950 the banking hall was the main element in the layout, following in the tradition of guildhalls, mercantile exchanges and Renaissance mansions. The rest of the interior is also typical of this model. Public areas are on the ground floor, private offices are on the upper levels and the vaults are in the basement. The facades and the internal spaces are sumptuously appointed, with imposing statues and splendid grilles. Some of BBVA’s offices from the first half of the 20th century have a traditional banking design. They include Gran Via 12 in Bilbao (columns expressed on the main facade), Alcala 16 in Madrid, (statues of horses on the roof), Plaza de Catalunya 5 in Barcelona (balcony and grilles) and the Oviedo branch (previously a large mansion). From the 1960s onwards architecture became more modern and banks joined this trend, showing they were up-to-date, progressive and prosperous. In the 1960s BBVA built a tall, modern office block at Gran Via 1 in Bilbao. And in the 1980s the architect, Saénz de Oiza, designed the slender tower on the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid – a symbol of modern technology and a building of considerable historic and cultural value. In the globalised world of the 21st century, in which technology has made money intangible, the focus is now on flexibility and innovation. On the other hand, not all the monumental and sombre buildings BBVA owns in Spain were initially destined to be banks. Some were mansions or palaces of the aristocracy that were later adapted for banking purposes, like the Marquis of Salamanca palace on the Paseo de Recoletos in Madrid. Others were old hotels, such as the branch in Calle Rioja, Seville. Photo credits: Pedro Albornoz, BBVA Historic Archive in San Nicolás, Bilbao, and Oviedo Municipal Archive. back to the gallery | 
