Edificio Villanueva, Madrid

Edificio Villanueva is the Museo del Prado’s principal building and its earliest site in chronological terms. Juan de Villanueva designed it, and Antonio López Aguado continued its restoration after wartime damage. Its architectural style is neoclassical.

The surprising part is its original purpose: the upper floor was planned for the Royal Cabinet of Natural History, while the lower floor was assigned to the Academy of Sciences; a meeting hall occupied the central section. Each institution had its own entrance: the cabinet was reached through the north side, now the Puerta de Goya, the academy through the south entrance, and the meeting hall through the west entrance. Construction began in 1785, but the building was badly damaged during the Napoleonic invasion after being used as a barracks and having its roof lead melted down for ammunition.