I've had quite a few people ask me via PM, if I know anything about this building and one member sent me a PM a few days ago "¦.so I thought I'd make a post about what I've managed to find out about this house because it did intrigue me for a long time.

Casa de los Navajas or The House of Knives
This house is emblematic and of architectural beauty.

The house belonged to the family of Lugue Navaja and it was built in Bajondillo Alto in 1925 by Antonio Navaja Ruiz, a neighbour of Churriana, who decided to settle in the town ordering the construction of the house in the area known as Orchard de la Cruz

It was built according to a project of the architect Francisco Fernandez Fermina, who wanted to erect a building in keeping with the style/fashion of the time, which was faithful to the neo-Mudejar or neo-Arabic Andalusian and this house had a great relevance to the universal exhibitions throughout Seville in 1929.

At the time the house was built, Torremolinos consisted of a fishing community, the land was mainly agricultural land and thrived on the flour mills perched high on the cliff in Bajondillo, from where the name Torremolinos is derived.
Molinos means mills in Spanish and the Moors built a defensive tower to prevent the invasions from the sea at the end of what is today known as Calle San Miguel.
(Tower of Mills = Torre de Molinos = Torremolinos.)

Antonio Navaja Ruiz wanted a house built high amidst the agricultural land but near enough to the places where people enjoyed not only the produce of the land but also the sea, and today the garden in front of the house still displays (what looks like) remnants of the tiered land irrigation system which domineered the landscape.

The house has two floors. The upper floor consists of one single room, which is designed as a viewing room and the interior of the house was designed from inspiration of the Alhambra Palace in Granada
The two ends or " zócalos " that decorated the outside came from factories in Toledo and Talavera

In 1991 the house was declared a building of cultural interest by the Andalusian government and in July 2001 the family of Luque Navajas formalized the transfer rights of the house over to the municipality of Torremolinos, the building is not subject to modification or urban development.

Since then, a programme of restoration has supposedly taken place to make it a museum, but when ever I've visited the area, apart from seeing the odd "council" worker tending the gardens, this building remains locked-up and guarded"¦.. and its interior a mystery.

For me, the mystery continues, who were the Navajas family ? and where did they get their money from to build such a beautiful house.?





Click on image to enlarge....Thanks to ImageShack for hosting.

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