The red marble portal of Casa del Almirante

The Casa del Almirante is a palace house in Cádiz, a product of the city's Indian trade. Located in the Plaza San Martín, it was commissioned in the late 17th century by the family of Diego de Barrios, the almirante de la Flota de Indias. The building's exterior is defined by a magnificent portal of marble from Genoa, produced in the workshop of the Andreoli and assembled by the master García Narváez.

This palace house is built in a baroque style. The grand facade, modified by the builder's son, Ignacio de Barrios, features a portal of red and white marble. The lower part consists of four paired Tuscan columns, while the upper part features a balcony framed by Solomonic columns and a curved pediment with the family shield. Two watchtowers with pilasters crown the top of the ensemble. The interior includes a main hall with an irregular floor plan and the family shield painted on the ceiling, a courtyard with pointed arches over Tuscan columns, and an elliptical dome covering a staircase.

Inside, the building has an irregular shape with a four-story facade. The interior is centered around a courtyard where different rooms are distributed. The ground floor is dedicated to storage, the second floor to offices, the main floor served as the residence for the owners, and the fourth floor was used for service staff. The entrance to the main floor is through a monumental staircase with marble steps and a turned mahogany railing.

As of 2026, the house remains closed as it awaits a possible rehabilitation into a hotel. The property features three facades, with the main facade facing the Plaza San Martín, built with shell stone in the first and second bodies. The red marble of the portal, imported from Genoa, remains a standout feature of the structure's historic noble character.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons