Thursday, December 8, 2011

Toledo station, Spain


From Toledo, Ohio, to the city it was named after. 

Work on this building began in 1917 under authority from Narciso Claveria, architect for the MZA (see earlier post) who was a great promoter of a Moorish Revival in Spain. The basic materials were brick, stone, cement and iron, which were combined in a very decorative way. It consists of a passenger building at the side of the tracks leaving a canopy supported by slender iron columns. The passenger building comprises a central hall on one level. Each side of the central pavilion has a wing continuing the style of the facade, although at a different height. On the far left of the station stands a curious clock tower, very rare at stations and more common in Mudejar style churches. The central pavilion has from the outside, five entrances to the hall by high pointed horseshoe arches. Inside is a large amplitude lobby which highlights the ticket office. All the ornaments and designs inside the station were made by  Toledo craftsmen in a style that permeated the area. The bottom of the walls of the lobby is lined with mosaic tiles, like the coffered ceiling the characteristic work of Toledano ceramist Angel Pedraza. All the forged decorations such as lamps, signs, railings etc are the work of the master forger Julio Pascual.

The station was opened in April 1919.

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