Coliseum de Seville

Those who thought that the Colosseum was something exclusive to Rome did not know that there is also a famous Colosseum in Seville , although it was not common to see gladiators, wild beasts and naval battles.

The building in question is located at number 38, Avenida de la Constitución and has been there since 1924 . At that time, brothers José and Aurelio Gómez Millán built the Reina Mercedes cinema. However, months before the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition, the number of seats was reduced and the stage enlarged. It became the Reina Victoria Theater, which would eventually be inaugurated as the Coliseo España.

The interior of the building was a luxury: tiled carpet-like draperies, carved wooden ceilings, imposing marble staircases and frescoes inspired by works of Spanish literature. The problems came when the promoter, Idelfonso Marañón y Levin, sold it to the company Previsión Española, which incorporated it as a theater at the Banco Bilbao Vizcaya.

The owners wanted to demolish it, but in 1970 a popular movement emerged to defend the building so that it would not suffer the same fate as the Palacio de los Sánchez Dalp. Mayor Juan Fernández said it would remain in place for the duration of his term. He even managed to have it declared a historical-artistic monument at a local level.

Ultimately, the interior was gutted and only a few pieces remained, such as the chandelier from the Lope de Vega theater. The Junta de Andalucía bought the building and turned it into offices. Today, the facades are the only remaining elements of the building. An architectural treasure in the center of Seville that could have housed one of Spain's great theaters.

Willem Vandenameele