Valencia’s Iconic Correos Building In Plaza de Ayuntamiento Sold Off For €22m

Valencia’s Correos main office has been sold for €22m. Correos will keep a small office to the side of the building. Daniel Hazelhoff reports….

Valencia’s iconic correos building in Plaza de Ayuntamiento has been sold off. In a deal that’s taken Ximo Puig over a year to seal, the Consell (city council) has purchased one of the central masterpieces of architecture in Valencia. Correos has sold the historical building of Correos for €22m to the Generalitat. This marks the third Correos site sold in Valencia. The other two are the Elx site, and the Castelló site. 

The recent acquisition of the Correos building at Plaza del Ayuntamiento has been the priciest so far, at €22m. But this represents good use of public money since the Generalitat valued the building at €30m. Correos will still maintain a small office in the building with access on Calle Correos, according to Levante-emv.com. 

A rapid sale

The transition period of the sale is likely to be rather quick. Correos has said that they can evacuate the building by the end of January. 

The goal is to open the historical building to the public once it’s in the Generalitat’s possession. The building will become a museum, and a cultural centre, a symbol of Valencia’s cultural heritage. The Generalitat will rename it La Casa De Las Regiones (The House Of Regions).

With La Casa De Las Regiones, the city council intends to create a centre of praise for different regions of Europe.   

The Generalitat has also considered dedicating some of the space to other uses, possibly administrative. It will make decisions about developments come February if everything goes to plan. 

Public offices now in short supply

This acquisition could not have come at a worse time, says Las Provincias. During peak pandemic, with new cases rising, and the Conselleria de Hacienda (Ministry of Finance) up in arms about a lack of physical space for government officials to do their jobs. La Generalitat needs more than 25,000 sq m for the different workers in different departments throughout the Valencian Province, says the Hacienda. The requirement is for 18,400 sq m in Valencia, more than 3,000 in Alicante, and just under 3,000 in Castellón.

The Generalitat has 111 unused properties, 56 of which are rustic real estate, 28 lots of land, five condominiums, three storage spaces, four households,  two business premises and others, says the Hacienda. The Ministry of Finance is not happy that Correos has sold Valencia’s iconic Correos building in Plaza de Ayuntamiento, it seems. It is part of a process that is leaving public property for workers in short supply. 

“We don’t have buildings and space apt for the work we need. These unused properties aren’t appropriate because they are rustic properties, or pieces of land, or in places with limited access, and therefore do not meet the minimum requirements for administration work,” says the Ministry of Finance, according to Las Provincias. 

It seems the acquisition of the building and its intended use goes against the grain of what government officials require at this current moment. However, La Generalitat seems more concerned with maintaining its cultural heritage and creating a space worthy of the public eye, say commentators.   

History of El Edificio De Correos

Also known as the Palacio de Correos y Telégrafos (the palace of mail and telegraphs), the main Correos building was designed by architect Miguel Ángel Navarro, and presents some elements of Valencian Modernism. 

The project started in 1915 and ended in 1923. The building itself stands as a monument to the progress that came thanks to mail and telegraphs. The main entrance stuns viewers hosting double columns and three impressive arches.  

At the top of the building, there is a metallic tower that holds a spiral staircase that gives access to a mirador (a viewpoint).

The building is one of the architectural marvels Valencia boasts and draws tourists and photographers alike. It is a vivid example of the move from a mail-based society to a digital one, and this causes some wistful nostalgia, especially among the older generations.