Madrid halts demolition of the iconic Baobab in Lavapiés after controversy

Madrid City Council has precautionarily halted the demolition of the former Senegalese restaurant Baobab, located on Calle Cabestreros in Lavapiés. The suspension affects two buildings where a capsule hostel with more than 200 beds was planned, a project that had generated controversy in the neighbourhood.

The building, opposite Nelson Mandela Square, has no urban-planning protection, as it does not appear in the Catalogue of Buildings of the General Urban Development Plan. This has been confirmed by Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida, who explained that the building licence remains suspended while the building's heritage status is clarified.

The decision follows a complaint lodged by PSOE de Madrid with the Provincial Prosecutor's Office. The party is calling for the refurbishment to be halted because of the building's «high heritage value», considering it one of the few witnesses to the 17th century still preserved in the area.

The council has requested a report from the Directorate-General for Historical Heritage of the Community of Madrid to determine whether the building merits protection. Until it receives a response, any intervention remains on hold.

Urbex Arquitectura, the company responsible for the project, had announced the transformation of the space into a hotel with an innovative concept, with shared rooms and bunk beds in independent cubicles. For now, the future of the iconic Baobab remains up in the air.