Aspiring to give Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city, cultural clout and a tourist magnet rivaling Frank Gehry’s museum in Bilbao, the regional government set out to develop an 86.5-acre site on a dry riverbed, midway between Valencia’s old section and its coastal district. In 1991, architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava, a native son of the city, won the competition for a telecommunications tower on that land and soon after gained the commission to develop the entire City of Arts and Sciences there. Governmental changes in 1996 prompted the decision to create the Reina Sofía Palace of the Arts (Palau de les Arts), to include an opera house, at the site’s western end, in place of the planned telecommunications tower.
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.