The Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid was built as the headquarters of the national post, telegraph and telephone service. Antonio Palacios and Joaquín Otamendi won a municipal competition to design it. Work began on September 12, 1907. It was completed in 1918 and officially opened on March 14, 1919, at a cost of twelve million pesetas.
The facade is Neo-Plateresque with Baroque references. The article calls it an early example of Modernismo but says that claim is disputed. The complex covers about 323,000 square feet (30,000 square m) on former Buen Retiro gardens and uses roughly 1,500 to 2,000 tons of iron.
Madrid's City Council has occupied the building since 2007, and the CentroCentro cultural center is open to the public. It was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural in 1993.
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