In recent years, talking about the Stella Swimming Club has been like talking about an abandoned myth of Madrid. Despite being protected by the city council since 2011, what was once one of the most iconic summer destinations for both Madrid residents and Hollywood stars has been covered in weeds and forgotten. Until now: the Christian Union of San Chaumond congregation has purchased the property and will convert it into a school.
An article published by Daniel J. Ollero in El Mundo points to the stark contrast between what this place was and what it will be: from a club where topless sunbathing was allowed to a center with a strict dress code for its students.
Among the examples cited by the journalist, the rules prohibit “skirts above the knee, makeup, or dyed hair.” This new scenario of the Stella Pool Club being converted into a school for the congregation could become a reality in two years.
This is the estimated time frame for adapting what was once a summer leisure space—and, curiously, a place of freedom during the dictatorship— to the needs of its new use, both educational and sporting.
The iconic façade of the building—designed in 1947 by architect Fermín Moscoso del Prado at the request of Manuel Pérez-Vizcaíno, the owner of the property— will remain intact, as a result of the protection granted by the Madrid City Council 15 years ago.
Piscina Club-Stella, the place to be among the stars
Image courtesy of: COAM Architecture Foundation
The Piscina-Club Stella enjoyed its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, when thousands of people visited it daily during the hot summers in the capital. Among them were many well-known names from the world of music and entertainment, such as Ava Gardner and Antonio Machín, as well as personalities of all kinds: aristocrats, soccer players, and the cream of society.