The Modernist Wonder: The Piñón Mansion

The Casa del Piñón, a modernist architecture marvel, stands in the heart of La Unión, a city in the Region of Murcia, Spain. The impressive building was constructed by Spanish architect Pedro Cerdán in 1899, during the period of prosperity of the Sierra minera de Cartagena-La Unión. It was a grand commission by Joaquín Peñalver Nieto, a wealthy businessman known as ‘El Piñón’ for his short stature. Initially, the building was designed as a high-end rental apartment complex, but it has since become the Town Hall of La Unión.

The unique ‘L’ shaped design of the Casa del Piñón is due to the landshape it was built upon. The ground floor, crafted with stone, offers multiple large arches for entry, marked with large lion-head mouldings atop. The first floor has a stone balustrade and balconies divided into six, reflecting the original number of apartments. One apartment was specifically designed for El Piñón's personal residence. The top floor balconies mirror the first floor in design, but with individual differences.

The epitome of the building is the cupola designed by French architect Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, installed at the building’s peak. The balconies on the main street (Calle Mayor de La Unión) and Calle Alfonso X were intended for wealthy families, while two stairs with two apartments each were reserved for the service staff of these wealthy families. The building's design represents the modernism movement in architecture of that time. However, the building remained abandoned starting from the 1980s, with only the seats of PSOE and CDS (for a few years) and one resident, Isabel Peñalver Arroniz, remained until 2004.

A pharmacy that still stands after the restoration was the only thing remaining after 25 years of potential disappearance. The long restoration and rehabilitation process was led by architect Martín Lejárraga, completing in 2006.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons