La Revista de Sotogrande / Houses of Sotogrande
Sotogrande’s latest treasures
Villas, golf club buildings and hotels of Sotogrande now have a new seal of quality and recognition, granted by the Andalusian Regional Government, which has included three of the resort’s buildings in the General Catalogue of Andalusian Historical Heritage.
The Zóbel house, the Biddle house and Real Club de Golf de Sotogrande were the three buildings which went into the registry of Andalusia’s most outstanding buildings of the 20th Century. These three architectural specimens have some features in common, such as the fact that they were built between the sixties and early seventies, whereupon they are considered to have laid the foundations for the real-estate development which subsequently took place in the resort. It was the time when Sotogrande’s first villas were being built and, although at first they did not stick to a specific general design, they set the trends and became examples to follow. The first example is the RCGS clubhouse, built in 1963 by the architect Luis Gutiérrez. The classic lines of this rectilinear building are home to the keys to how the passion for golf arrived in Sotogrande to stay and the
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clubhouse is one of the most well-known images outside the resort. The Biddle house is a clear example of the Andalusian villas that are so popular in the resort. Although it was built in 1966 by Francisco Javier Carvajal, it does not clash in the slightest with the new buildings and it retains the charm of decades ago when Pilar de Borbón spent her summer holidays in the villa thanks to the generosity of the Americans Biddle Duke. The Zobel house dates from 1970 and the difference in years compared to the examples above is noticeable in its more modernist touches. This building plays with straight lines, vegetation and light to create a cosy and very bright space. In addition to being an emblematic building in itself, it has the guarantee of being the only project in the
area by José Antonio Coderch, renowned as the most important Catalan architect post Second World War. NH Sotogrande was the first to achieve this acknowledgement, having been included in the catalogue in 2007. José Antonio Corrales Gutiérrez was responsible for the construction of this exemplary hotel building in 1963 and 1965. Its status as an Asset of Cultural Interest means that the property has to be preserved. Although each case has its own rules, in general these buildings cannot be demolished, although their use can be changed and, in some cases, partial modifications can be made. The recognition of these architectural specimens is applicable to the entire resort, where the classical style merges with Andalusian Mediterranean design and the large villas dominate the landscape.n