Calle Larios

Look at the corners of the buildings: every one of them is curved. That's no accident. This street was designed all at once, with buildings in proportion to its width and rounded corners, following models then seen as the very latest thing, such as those of the Chicago School. It is the most elegant street of 19th-century Málaga.

1Goodbye to Cat Alley

To open it up, a chunk of the old Moorish street plan was torn down: Seven Bends Street, Dog Alley and Cat Alley all disappeared, among others. The aim was to bring air and light into the centre and link Plaza de la Constitución directly with the Alameda and the port.

2A street with a family name

In 1880 a public limited company was set up to fund the project, and the Larios family – originally from La Rioja and grown rich in Málaga on textiles and sugar – took most of the shares. The layout was by Joaquín de Rucoba and the buildings by Eduardo Strachan. Work began in 1887 and the street was inaugurated on 27 August 1891. It is about 350 metres long.

Not a single member of the Larios family attended the opening: a group of protesting workers had surrounded their house.

During the Second Republic it was called Calle 14 de Abril. In 2002 it was pedestrianised, the first step in the great regeneration of the historic centre.

3What to look for

• The curved corners, the signature of Strachan's design.
• The glazed bay windows on the upper floors.
• The monument to the Marquis, by Mariano Benlliure, at the end of the street.