The Casa de los Navajas was built in Torremolinos exactly 100 years ago. It was in 1925 that the entrepreneur Antonio Navajas, who had links to the lucrative sugar cane trade, decided to build a mansion in the neo-Mudejar style with Mozarabic features as a family residence. Facing El Bajondillo beach, this remarkable building now offers free admission to the public, and can be accessed along Calle del Bajondillo or Vía Las Mercedes de Torremolinos.
Currently, the Casa de los Navajas is a popular venue for weddings and other ceremonies. It also holds art exhibitions, concerts, official receptions and drama performances, and has become a cultural flagship for the town. This is a historic building that is well worth visiting on any sightseeing trip to Torremolinos.
The history of the Casa de los Navajas
The Casa de los Navajas was declared a Site of Historical Interest by the Junta of Andalusia in 1993. It was built between 1925 and 1926 by Antonio Navajas, a businessman born in Churriana who made his fortune from the profitable trade in sugar cane in the area now occupied by Málaga-Costa del Sol airport, and which at that time belonged to the Marquis of Larios.
Antonio Navajas dreamt of a house by the sea, and in 1925 he discovered the ideal location on the lovely beach front of El Bajondillo. His house was built in a style that was fashionable at the time, and with touches reminiscent of the Malagueta bullring, the former Casa de Correos (Post Office building) which is now the Office of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Málaga, and the Salamanca market in the district of El Molinillo.
After up to three generations of the Luque-Navajas family had lived in the house, it fell into a state of neglect lasting several years. In the year 2000 it was acquired by Torremolinos Town Council, and a major restoration project was begun, with the building finally opening to the public in 2014.
What you can see on your visit
The two-storey mansion has round towers at each end of the building. At the corners, there are arcades and a conical green-tiled roof. The ground floor was intended to be the living quarters of the Luque-Navajas family, with bedrooms, a study, a dining room and a kitchen. The upper storey was used as a viewing point, with a spacious living room and two turrets, which afforded incredibly beautiful views of the Málaga coastline.
The mansion was built in a Neo-Mudejar style, which was popular in Spain — especially in the province of Málaga in the late nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth century. The interior decoration of the Casa de los Navajas de Torremolinos, with tiles from Seville and panels depicting traditional country scenes, was inspired by the Alhambra in Granada. In the arches between the minarets, there are tiles illustrating scenes from Don Quijote, an eight-pointed Tartessos star, and inscriptions in Arabic and Hebrew. The inlaid furniture that graced some of the mansion’s rooms was specially brought to Torremolinos from Granada.
Nowadays, the Casa de los Navajos, with its outstanding and majestic exterior staircase, is one of Torremolinos’ architectural emblems, along with the Pimentel Tower and the House of María Barrabino.
Useful information
The Casa de los Navajas has an area of 340 square metres, and has belonged to the local Council since the year 2000.
Between 15 September and 14 June, opening hours are Wednesday – Sunday, from 10.30 a.m. until 2.00 p.m., and from 3.00 p.m. until 6.30 p.m. During the summer (15 June until 15 September), opening hours are Wednesday – Sunday, from 10.00 a.m. until 2.00 p.m., and from 6.30 p.m. until 10.00 p.m.
Admission to the Casa de los Navajas is free.
In the area around the Casa de los Navajas, you will find the Torremolinos Botanical Gardens and the famous tower, the Torre del Molina, both attractions worth visiting.
