vivienda - History Lab

Ground floor of the house of Don Pedro de Astrearena, Marquis of Murillo, 1746

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:18 +0000

The dwelling constitutes the main space for families in the Modern Period, both in terms of the ways of life and distribution of people within the houses and during their own cohabitation. These living relationships show great differences between urban and rural spaces, and this study therefore focuses on the inhabitants of Madrid as the capital of the Monarchy and seat of the Cortes during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The article analyses the de facto relationship between the owners of a property and the increasingly common tenants, who were not part of the family unit to which they had been accustomed until then. According to the research of the Planimetría General de Madrid, it is discovered that in the middle of the 18th century, 35% of the properties destined for housing in Madrid belonged to the Church and 11% to the nobility.
In terms of cohabitation, which is the object of study here, two types of owners can be distinguished in Madrid. On the one hand, there were those who lived in a house to live exclusively with their families, while on the other hand, there were individuals who established their habitual residence in houses with a characteristic architectural layout that allowed them to be inhabited by several families, who would then live directly with the owner. In large buildings, even large-scale restructuring of the space was carried out, as in the case in point, in which Don Pedro de Astreana sent his reform project to the Madrid City Council in 1746. The aim of this plan was to create up to ten separate rooms that would serve as living quarters for several people or family groups. In this situation, complete family nuclei would be established that would have nothing to do with those in the adjoining rooms.

The post Ground floor of the house of Don Pedro de Astrearena, Marquis of Murillo, 1746 first appeared on History Lab.

Social category and income levels (in reales) in Madrid, 1749-1774

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:57 +0000

Real estate rents and urban property constituted an important part of the wealth of some members of the Madrid elites at the end of the 18th century. Investments in urban property increased notably due to a general recovery in rents, to which must be added the increase in demand initiated in this process. The irruption of the real estate market underwent important modifications in the period between 1750 and 1850, when a part of the ecclesiastical properties changed hands and the ownership of individuals increased considerably. In this sense, Madrid constituted a peculiar model of growth in comparison to other imperial capitals, as cities such as London or Paris broke their historical limits in the face of a new urbanisation. The titled aristocracy owned 10% of the total urban property in the town on the Manzanares. However, it controlled 24% of the rental income as its properties were highly profitable due to their location where the price was higher. Aristocratic property enjoyed prestige as it was the expression of a way of life based on wealth and birth. Thus, it reproduced a stately style within the walls, seeking to imitate the royal palace. In this sense, the location of the property was determined by its proximity to the palace, as in the 17th century there was a certain shift to the eastern part of the Villa, coinciding with the Buen Retiro Palace and the Paseo del Prado. The Carrera de San Jerónimo, Alcalá, Atocha and Mayor streets were predominant in the 18th century.

The post Social category and income levels (in reales) in Madrid, 1749-1774 first appeared on History Lab.

Grandes de España. Annual income (1808) and real estate income in reales (1749-1770)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:57 +0000

Real estate rents and urban property constituted an important part of the patrimony of some members of the Madrid elites at the end of the 18th century. Investments in urban property increased notably due to a general recovery in rents, to which must be added the increase in demand initiated in this process. The irruption of the real estate market underwent important modifications in the period between 1750 and 1850, when part of the ecclesiastical properties changed hands and the ownership of individuals increased considerably. In this sense, Madrid constituted a peculiar model of growth in comparison to other imperial capitals, as cities such as London or Paris broke their historical limits in the face of a new urbanisation. The aristocratic group, in addition to controlling the most distinguished spaces in terms of housing, controlled the most important part of the income from real estate. Although the titled aristocracy did not form a homogeneous group, there was a group of new titles whose estates were more recent and generally acquired through purchases, inheritance or marriage. In this sense, the income from renting houses in Madrid of many of Spain’s grandees constituted a minor part of their estates, as they lived in their palaces and rented out part of their possessions, although most of their income came from agricultural properties.

The post Grandes de España. Annual income (1808) and real estate income in reales (1749-1770) first appeared on History Lab.