The Posada del Lucero is the only functional posada in Spain from the 16th century. It has been classified as a property of cultural interest and a national artistic monument

The posada has a great ethnological and architectural value. Many elements from the original construction have been recovered and restored to combine the traditional and the avant-garde.

The Posada contains three patios with different configurations.

The first patio is located behind the entrance hall, where we find the reception area with its 18th century tiles and a cube-shaped glass roof which blends into the entry way.

The bases of the columns were unearthed and recovered as the result of an excavation. You can see the marks left by the road in 2003, as well as the way that the street level has raised throughout the years.
The first floor arches have been recovered, as they were found covered by bricks and small balconies. The gallery has been maintained true to its original state.

The second patio is the site of the former stables which has been restored to match its original state. The walls of the rooms have been substituted with special outdoor walls. Behind the wooden wall, we find the doors and windows of the rooms.

In room b9, the arch has been recovered and we can observe the original brickwork. The stable arch gives way to a succession of arches and depth characteristic of the architecture of hotels during this period. The only exceptions are the large lights which were used for the passage of vehicles during this time period. The posada was a place of rest for travellers, merchants and animals and a place of storage for horse carriages which functioned as such until well into the 90’s.

We enter the third San Felipe patio through a corridor, a glass and steel gate which connects it to and separates it from the stable patio. This corridor acts as a central link and its elements accompany you as you walk from one end to the other.

The San Felipe patio contains a fountain with 18th century tiles whose water creates a sound unique to Mudejar style architecture. The patio is dominated by a wall in which converging holes allow light to filter through from the stairway and at night, illuminate the patio like lanterns. The patio is covered by a skylight with the same wooden lattice work design as the gallery railing.

 From the San Felipe roof, we can observe the Posada’s original tile roof, decorated with traditional copper and brickwork. We can observe the elevation of the first patio rooms where we can walk on the tiles, as the Corten steel and glass constructions have disappeared.

The roof of the first patio is covered with large projections to protect it from weather damage. The water tank is located in this space and can be accessed using a glass lantern. From here, you have views over the roof of the Posada, as well as the San Pedro and Santa Catalina churches. These are among the oldest churches in the city and fine examples of Mudejar and Seville-Baroque architecture.

The tack room is the place where riding tackle and transport material was stored. This space has been recovered and converted into hotel meeting rooms and bar. The empty spaces have been designed as large windows made of Corten steel and the original wooden beams have been recovered and treated with anti-woodworm products. The original Posada door is located in one of these spaces. As it was impossible to leave it in its original location, it remains on display so guests can observe the passage of time on its surface.

The light level in this space is controlled using special designer lamps and indirect lighting.

All the lighting in the Posada has been designed to create constantly changing spaces and filtered light. For this purpose, the hotel has floor lights and isolated wall lights.

The posada is a journey through time which we have tried to recover and adapt to the present. For this reason, we have used typical period materials, such as lime mortar applied using traditional techniques and woodwork with oxidized steel, also typical of avant-garde architecture. The walnut colored wood and the existing wooden beams have been recovered to restore them to the original state in which they were found.

The façade has been one of the most controversial points of the project during the initial study, the proposal to the government bodies, for which we have received constant support from the Andalusia City Council’s Cultural Commission, and the effects that it would have on the city.

The original façade has been conserved in its original state with the addition of steel work and coverings on the doorjambs. The current hotel façade is a union of three elements, the original in its current state and the space where the hinges are located which unifies the old façade and connects it to the adjacent constructions, creating continuity between the façade and Almirante Apodaca street. Since the beginning of the last century this area had been simply an empty space.

The hinges, which are made from Corten steel molds, interact with the old Courthouse, which is currently the city newspaper library with a distinctive architectural touch. It outlines the space used for the new hotel entrance and the guest loading and unloading area.

The “steel box” that makes up the base leads to the new entrance by inserting itself into the new exterior entry way, where a large glass door opens to the interior. The “box” was designed as a place to put the original Posada door, but as it was impossible to restore, it was substituted by a replica and the original was place in the hotel lobby.

After three years of restoration and rehabilitation work, a symbolic building in the center of Seville has been recovered in order to offer its 16th century hotel services today, in the 20th century. We hope you appreciate all of our effort and hard work, done with the utmost care so that our hotel will continue to exist for another four centuries.

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