Casa Lola “La de Lucena”

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It is undoubtedly the most picturesque building in the old town. It was built in 1905 by the flamenco singer “Lola, la de Lucena”, and later purchased by the Benjumea family. It was later occupied by a congregation of nuns and is now privately owned.

The compound currently consists of four buildings with a quasi-square floor plan and two levels. It appears that it was initially a single building. The building occupies more than half of the plot, and the garden is in the front. In the past, the lower floor was a granary and servants’ quarters, while the upper level was the living quarters of the owners.

The façade has two well-differentiated sections. The corner consists of two curtain walls with Arabic elements, such as horseshoe arches in windows and doors, decorated with arabesque alfiz tiles. The other section of the façade has a more rational design with large rectangular openings on the upper floor, a metallic roof and a beautiful Arab-style tile plinth.

Highlights in the courtyard include six Corinthian-style solid iron columns on small brick pedestals that support the wooden beams of the terrace. There is a well in the centre of the yard. The stunning terrace is decorated with white and cobalt blue Sevillian tiles.

This unique building is an example of how the Mudejar influence became an essential ingredient in the late 19th and early 20th-century architecture, which sought to illustrate Andalusia’s cultural roots.

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