The Alonso building is located on the grounds that formerly occupied the Convent of Jerusalem. It is a very interesting location, since here is the confluence of Xátiva Street, one of the main arteries of the city, with Calle San Vicente, which connects the city center with the historical part.
The building was commissioned to the architect Luis Albert Ballesteros, and its construction was carried out during four years, from 1936 to 1940. The building was designed for a residential program, with ground floors destined for commercial use, and the rest of the building for housing.
The project is inspired by the German Expressionist style, specifically in the Schocken stores of Mendelsohn. It shows the dynamic and modern image of an urban skyscraper. The corner solution of an enhanced curved volume, the game of shadows of cantilevers and balconies, and the careful treatment of the carpentries mark the visual character that makes Alonso Building an architectural reference in the center of the city.
The building presents an avant-garde architectural language, in which the solution of a glazed façade stands out in the form of continuous horizontal shapes, that also bend around the corner. This aspect distinguishes the design from the layout of a traditional façade, and is one of the elements that make the building iconic and perfectly adapted to the strategic place in which it is located.
