You are likely looking for the historic seventeenth-century palace located at the corner of Calle Mayor and Calle Bailén, as there was a separate nineteenth-century building by the same name at Plaza de Colón that was demolished in the nineteen-sixties. This surviving landmark in the center of Madrid was commissioned by Cristóbal Gómez de Sandoval, the first Duke of Uceda, around sixteen-ten. He was the son of the powerful Duke of Lerma and succeeded his father as the chief minister for King Philip the Third. The architecture of the palace was a bold statement of the Duke's status, designed to rival the grandeur of the nearby royal residence. Its design is notable for how it manages the steep slope of the land it occupies. While the front facade along Calle Mayor rises three stories, the rear facade facing the Pretil de los Consejos drops down five levels. This structural cleverness allowed the building to loom impressively over the city landscape. The palace served as the final home for the widowed Queen Mariana of Austria, who passed away within these walls in sixteen-ninety-six. By the eighteenth century, the building transitioned from a private noble residence into an administrative hub for the Spanish monarchy, housing various royal councils. Today, it continues this legacy of state service as the seat of the Council of State, which is the highest consultative body for the Spanish government.
Palacio del Duque de Uceda (Plaza de Colón)
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