El Águila

The El Águila Department Store building was designed by Gaspar Bennàzar and Jaume Alenyà in 1908. The commercial purpose of the construction project meant, that they had to find special design solutions to make the most of the interior space and natural light.

They used wrought iron to accomplish this task, especially in the ground floor that is shared with the Can Forteza-Rey, is noteworthy as it allows more use of the space, thus adding decorative elements. On the main facade of the building, you can see the big window openings supported by these wrought iron designs that gives the building exterior its main significance.

Along with the Can Casasayas building, el Àguila is among the most interesting pieces of building facades in Palma designed in Art Nouveau style.

The building contains Modernist elements of the Viennese tendency in the form of the facade and the geometry of its composition. The building’s central motif with a semi-circular arch; its ornamental treatment and the coronation of the ensemble recall the Karlplatz metro station in Vienna, designed by the architect Otto Wagner who was a precursor of the Viennese secessionist movement.

El Águila is situated just behind the Placa Major, in the center of Palma.