Nestled in the neighborhood of Los Dolores in Cartagena, the Castillito de Los Dolores is a miniature mansion constructed in 1900 by the architect Tomás Rico Valarino. The building was commissioned by industrialist Pedro Conesa Calderón as a wedding gift for his granddaughter, Antonia Calín Conesa. Designed with a whimsical and pre-modernist style, the structure features a facade of red brick and artificial stone, with pointed roofs and cylindrical towers reminiscent of Northern European architecture and colonial villas.
Antonia Calín lived in the mansion for a period following her marriage in 1903. For many years, the building remained unchanged until it underwent restoration between 2000 and 2001. During this time, the garden was also restored, and the property was designated to house a local police station following a new renovation.
In May 1988, María del Carmen López Casal sold the estate to a construction company, with the exception of the Castillito. This specific building was ceded to the Ayuntamiento de Cartagena that same month for use as a park. While an application to declare the building a Bien de Interés Cultural was initiated in 1988, the file was archived in 2022.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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