well looking at a grand train shed like madrid’s on the previous page (or argentina’s for that matter!) sure makes me sad about the skeletal state of interstate rail services in america.
also missing our own grand train stations. people morn the infamous loss of penn station of course in nyc, but there were plenty of other losses, including the largest station in america, the second union station in cleveland, torn down in 1959: https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/335
well looking at a grand train shed like madrid’s on the previous page (or argentina’s for that matter!) sure makes me sad about the skeletal state of interstate rail services in america.
also missing our own grand train stations. people morn the infamous loss of penn station of course in nyc, but there were plenty of other losses, including the largest station in america, the second union station in cleveland, torn down in 1959: https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/335
I've been watching Mad Men this last few weeks and, in one of the episodes, they talk about the demolition of the Penn Station and the construction of the Madison Square Garden. Though I already knew the history of that particular station, I read a lot after about the history of the US rail network. It's amazing how many huge station were destroyed in many of the big cities. Glad that Grand Central Terminal is there shining now like in its golden years and that there's projects over the abandoned Detroit's MCT. Both Argentina and the USA went through the same road when it comes to the rail infrastructure. The big difference is that we still keep our stations and, in the case of Buenos Aires, all of them are being or are already restored to its former glory. However, the US is a great country, both in wealth and ambition, so the reconstruction is an interesting option, with new techniques and materials that are not that expensive.
City: Madrid
Community: Madrid
Set: Almudena Cathedral
The Almudena Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madrid. When the capital of Spain was transferred from Toledo to Madrid in 1561, the seat of the Church in Spain remained in Toledo and the new capital had no cathedral. Plans to build a cathedral in Madrid dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena were discussed as early as the 16th century but even though Spain built more than 40 cities in the new world during that century and plenty of cathedrals, the cost of expanding and keeping the Empire came first and the construction of Madrid's cathedral was postponed. Making the cathedral the largest that the world had ever seen was then a priority. All other main Spanish cities had centuries old cathedrals, and Madrid also has old churches, but the construction of Almudena only began in 1879. The cathedral seems to have been built on the site of a medieval mosque that was destroyed in 1083 when Alfonso VI reconquered Madrid. Francisco de Cubas, the Marquis of Cubas, designed and directed the construction in a Gothic revival style. Construction ceased completely during the Spanish Civil War, and the project was abandoned until 1950, when Fernando Chueca Goitia adapted the plans of de Cubas to a baroque exterior to match the grey and white façade of the Palacio Real, which stands directly opposite.
City: Madrid
Community: Madrid
Set: Queen Sofía Museum
The Queen Sofía Museum is Spain's national museum of 20th-century art. The museum was officially inaugurated on September 10, 1992. It is located near the Atocha train and metro stations, at the southern end of the so-called Golden Triangle of Art (located along the Paseo del Prado and also comprising the Museo del Prado and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza). The museum is mainly dedicated to Spanish art. Highlights of the museum include excellent collections of Spain's two greatest 20th-century masters, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. The most famous masterpiece in the museum is Picasso's painting Guernica. Along with its extensive collection, the museum offers a mixture of national and international temporary exhibitions in its many galleries, making it one of the world's largest museums for modern and contemporary art.
City: Madrid
Community: Madrid
Set: Queen Sofía Museum
Following next, two of the great tourist epicenters of Madrid: first, the Plaza Mayor, established 500 years ago as a market on the suburbs of the medieval urbanization and nowadays worldwide recognized by the building of the two pinnacles of the Bakery House ("Casa de la Panadería"). And second, the Royal Palace of Madrid, which proudly retains the achievement of being the largest royal palace in Western Europe, even greater than Versailles.
City: Madrid
Community: Madrid
Set: San Miguel Market
The San Miguel Market is a covered market, originally built in 1916 and purchased by private investors in 2003 who renovated the iron structure and reopened it in 2009. San Miguel Market is the most popular market in Madrid among tourists since it is located in the centre of Madrid, within walking distance from Plaza Mayor. The market is not a traditional grocery market but a gourmet tapas market, with over 30 different vendors selling a wide variety of freshly prepared tapas, hams, olives, baked goods and other foods. Beer, wine and champagne are also available.
City: Madrid
Community: Madrid
Set: Cuatro Torres Business Area
Cuatro Torres Business Area (CTBA), Spanish for "Four Towers Business Area", is a business district located in the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, Spain, on the former Ciudad Deportiva of Real Madrid. The area contains the tallest skyscrapers in Spain, and some of the highest in the European Union: the Torre Espacio, Torre de Cristal, Torre PwC and Torre Cepsa. Construction of the buildings finished in 2008. The complex was formerly known as Madrid Arena.