Madrid City Council evicts Casa Árabe from historic headquarters

Madrid's City Council has announced the eviction of Casa Árabe from its prominent Escuelas Aguirre headquarters, citing structural problems stemming from inadequate management and conservation. Mayor José Luis Martínez Almeida declared that the institution must vacate the building by September 1, asserting that the structure requires urgent consolidation and repair work. Almeida criticized the former director of Casa Árabe, Irene Lozano, for what he described as "lamentable management" that allegedly left the institution "bankrupt" and contributed to the building's deterioration. The Escuelas Aguirre, a 19th-century Mudéjar-style building with a distinctive tower located near El Retiro Park, has housed Casa Árabe, an institution dedicated to Arab culture, since 2006. It is managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Spanish Cooperation, the regional governments of Madrid and Andalusia, and the city councils of Madrid and Córdoba. The mayor further argued that Casa Árabe's current activities and staffing levels do not justify its occupation of such an "emblematic" building. Following the eviction, the City Council intends to undertake necessary renovations to ensure the building's preservation before determining its future use for the public. Despite the council's decision, efforts were made to negotiate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the building's situation, but no response was received from the department led by José Manuel Albares. Although the founding agreement for Casa Árabe stipulates a fifteen-day notice period for repossession, the City Council has extended this to September 1 to facilitate the institution's relocation. Almeida expressed the council's willingness to collaborate with Casa Árabe and other patronato members to find a new location, but ruled out providing another municipal building.