Walking through the lower AlbaicÃn, Granada’s historic neighborhood, you can see fabulous views of the Alhambra. Carrera del Darro is often referred to as the most beautiful street in the world. Next to the riverbank, this charming cobblestone street is just below the Red Castle on Sabika Hill.
As you walked towards the end of the street, you may have noticed an abandoned building on the other side of the river. Carrera del Darro changes its name at some point to Father Manjon Walk. Officially named, but known to locals as Walk of the Sad. (Walkway for the Sad). It got its name because grieving relatives walked along this street to the nearby cemetery.
Walk of the Sad
Along this stretch of street, many stop to observe the abandoned building known as House of Mirrors. (House of Mirrors) It is also known as Carmen de Santa EngracÃa, Carmen del Granadillo or even by locals as Hotel Reuma.
Another name given by local residents is the suitcase house. The Suitcase House. What a small suitcase looks like when seen from afar. Some call it a dollhouse. It seems small, obscured by perspective when seen from the Mirador de San Nicolás or from the AlbaicÃn neighborhood.
(seen in this photo below right)
suitcase house
Many residents and visitors question how this building can be abandoned. It is currently in a state of abandonment. Especially when it occupies such a wonderful location in Granada. Directly below the Alhambra Palace itself and in one of the city’s busiest tourist areas.
I wanted to know more about this mysterious building, so I started investigating.
Hotel Reuma
First let’s deal with all these names!
The property was originally Carmen de Santa Engrácia. On one side there was another property called Carmen the Granadillo that was part of it. These were separated and owned separately. The area has almond trees, fruit trees, land as well as the Hotel Building.
Carmen houses are typical of Granada, especially in the AlbaicÃn neighborhood. You can read more about them here: Typical Carmens in Granada
Hotel Alhambra
This elegant building on the banks of the River Darro was built in 1908 just below the Comares Tower. It opened on the 20ththe May 1910. The name of the Hotel at the time of opening was Alhambra Woods Hotel. In Spanish Hotel Bosque de Alhambra.
Designed as a luxury hotel and described by first visitors in the opening week as a ´Delightful Mansion´. It was a time when the city attracted its first tourists. For information, the first hotel in Granada built in 1898 was the Hotel Victoria and it still occupies its position in Puerta Real today, managed by the NH hotel group.
Many visitors were eager to visit the Alhambra Woods Hotel for the first time for the Corpus Christi festival in June of that year. To get to the hotel entrance, you can access it by crossing the Chirimias bridge. (seen above)
The hotel was initially well received, but within months of opening guests began to leave. Nicknamed by locals as the Gripe hotel. (Hotel Reuma) this name is still used today. The humidity problems in the guest rooms, the cold of the river and the dark shade of the forest did not please the guests at all. It is understood that in 1912 it ceased to function as a hotel. Just two years after its inauguration.
The hotel closed permanently in 1916 although details are vague. The hotel was owned by Don Manuel Antonio Reyes Clavero, a surveyor whose wife owned the land.
Carmen de Santa Engrácia
Since the closure of Hotel Alhambra the building was used for various purposes.
- It is said that the composer Manuel de Falla lived on the Carmen de Santa Engracia property during the summer of 1921. During this time he was frequently visited by the Granadan poet Frederico Garcia Lorca.
- During the Spanish Civil War in 1936 the building was used as a Hospital.
- Later in 1940 it was used as the basis for a Masonic Lodge, called the Alhambra. At the time there were three Masonic groups in the city, Rumor has it that Federico Garcia Lorca was a member. It was even known to have been used as dressing rooms for artists and theater performers.
- So over the years 1950 to 1960 part of the building was used as a factory to make ropes from cannabis plants. He was also known for having married a soap factory.
- Until the year 2000 the building was in a state of abandonment, that year it was taken over by the Alhambra management committee and now intended to be used as a center related to the monument.
The building today
Recent plans drawn up by Granada City Council and the Andalusian local authority promise to improve the general appearance of the area. The idea is to restore the ChirimÃas bridge, so that it regains its original appearance, as well as renovating the building. The building will offer cultural activities related to the Alhambra Palace and will have temporary or permanent exhibitions.
Construction and renovation works began in August 2025.
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