With the arrival of the Second Republic, the Rico de Toledo Hall was one of the protected scholars for two years in 1931. However, the good omen for the last remains of the palace, of medieval origin, would eventually disappear. The heritage complex – the building and its surroundings, called Corral de Don Diego – ended in the 20th century as a deeply degraded area, blessed with carterism, a menu of drugs and an accumulation of wealth. Along the way, the interior of this “qubba” (a square construction of oriental influence, crowned by artisanal know-how) had served as space for an adjoining herreria, and as a garage for a mechanics workshop in the 1960s and 1970s. “The memory of the place had been lost,” says historian Antonio Perla. This profound heritage is now beginning to be restored. The recovery of the area, just over six meters from the nerve center of Zocodover Plaza, has restored vitality and illusion to a historic enclave of Toledo that seemed condemned to oblivion.
In any case, the problems of the old palace of García de Toledo date back to ancient times. In the mid-19th century, archaeologist Amador de los Ríos warned of the gradual destruction of the complex, and decades later Pérez Galdós described the last structures to fall to the ground, from which the Salón Rico would be saved. It was only at the end of the 20th century that the Toledo City Council began to take an interest in the recovery of the area. “Over the years, there have been eight attempts to create housing, hotels and commercial locations,” explains Jesús Corroto, director of the Consorcio de la Ciudad de Toledo, which manages the heritage of the historic center. This initiative failed. “There was no clear project agreed with citizens and there was a lack of communication,” analyzes Corroto, highlighting some of the causes of this fiasco.
This is how the consortium took note of past mistakes and launched rescue efforts in 2021. “We met with the local associations of the historic center so that they could tell us what we needed: they did not want more museums, they wanted houses for young people.” Jesús Corroto explains how, listening to the witnesses, the rest of the details of the project were configured: “We planted a lot of native vegetation, a source of drinking water, and the cars disappeared from there, which allowed a crossroads between the Plaza Mayor and the Alcázar district”. The intervention would eliminate “a block in the city” – describes the architect Pablo González Collado – and create a square with one level in the old Corral de Don Diego, which is currently the center of intense cultural activity. Now, “they were able to recover the surrounding buildings, which were in ruins, with five housing units for young people and local businesses nearby,” explains the consortium technician.
But the most interesting was undoubtedly the recovery of the Salón Rico. “The ‘qubbas’ are places of representation,” informs Antonio Perla, who undertook the historical study which will guide the work. “It was logical that the palace had a space like that, because the owner Diego García de Toledo was the greatest representative of the king,” explains the historian, about the importance and prestige of this character, the first in a long saga that was established in Toledo in the 14th century. Before this stage, the history of construction is full of questions. Perla found the answer to some of them and then banned the fake topics. “The foundation of the palace has been attributed to Trastámara for decades, but it did not happen like this,” explains the researcher. According to his studies, the former tenant of the so-called Casas de la Gallinería — where the Rico Salon is located — was Juan Pérez de Toledo, mayor of the city, “between the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th.”
Archeology has finished clarifying the panorama. In addition to realizing that the remains of the ancient Roman city that run through the Imperial City also lie beneath the Salón Rico, archaeologists will encounter a few surprises. “It was a large palace with spectacular rooms (dwellings); glazed ceramics were found like those of the Alhambra of Granada or the Royal Alcazar of Seville and some parterres with indigenous vegetation, before the Conquest of America,” reveals Jesús Corroto, architect and head of the consortium. Regarding the artistic value of the Rico Room – rather that of the eye-catching yeserías or that of the extraordinary craftsmanship that crowns the establishment – the historian Antonio Perla highlights “the whole” and its “supreme representational function” which, in reality, could not be the only one to fill this space. “In my opinion, this ‘qubba’ has only had a second use since the end of the 14th century, also belonging to these constructions, and becoming a place of homage to the deceased,” he said.
During the restoration – in which the recycling of materials prevailed, the criterion called “zero kilometer” – the technicians tried to “cure the disease” of the maltrecho Salón Rico, whose health was weighed down by forgetting and unworthy uses, such as the installation here of the first mechanical height of the American Ford company in Castilla-La Mancha. “We eliminated the pathologies that we found in elements such as craftsmanship or beams, maintaining the antique appearance, and when we had to add new elements, we used contemporary language,” explains architect Pablo González Collado. This integration of “old and new” is one of the aspects that has attracted the most attention over the years. “On the facade we decided to preserve each of the historical layers, which we call an archaeological building,” explains González Collado. “At first, the result may seem a little crude, but in this way a guide or an expert can explain each of the historical phases of the place,” argues the architect.
Since the inauguration of Salón Rico and Plaza del Corral de Don Diego in the summer of 2024, public use of the new space has continued to grow. Has the restoration of this cultural interest caused a revolution in the historic center of Toledo? “We are doing many more things besides recovering the salon: a square, gardens, buildings for houses… But it is clear that the Rico Salon is the one that radiates public interest that allows intervention throughout the neighborhood,” concedes González Collado. “It was a completely degraded area, full of drugs, full of cats, rats and feces; suddenly it became a new route where all the surrounding areas are being rehabilitated, and this benefits tourists, but above all their own neighbors”, reflects Jesús Corroto, director of the Consorcio de la Ciudad de Toledo. For his part, Antonio Perla, responsible for reconstructing the past of the enclave, shows rediscovered feelings: “It never ceases to be a spectacular space, but, when I look at the room, I can feel the void that leaves the rest of the buildings that are not there.” In fact, El Salón Rico has outlasted them all. Today, “healed” and renovated, it is revolutionizing the historic center of Toledo.
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