Coltejer Building

In front of you is the symbol of Medellín's skyline. When it was completed in 1972, it was the tallest building in Colombia.

1The city of looms

Medellín became industrial in the early 20th century, above all thanks to textiles. Coltejer, the Compañía Colombiana de Tejidos, founded in 1907, became the industry's flagship firm and wanted headquarters to match. The tower went up between 1968 and 1972 and is 175 metres tall. It remained the tallest in the country until 1977.

People quickly decided that its shape was a shuttle or a needle, with the eye for the thread near the top. In 2007 its architect, Raúl Fajardo, explained that the design simply answered a request for an eye-catching top, but the image of the needle had already stuck for good.

2The theatre that vanished

Here stood the Gonzalo Mejía building, designed by Agustín Goovaerts in 1922, with the Junín Theatre and the Hotel Europa. The theatre, opened in 1924, had around 4,700 seats and was said to be one of the largest indoor theatres in the world. It was demolished in 1967, a loss many still mourn.

Medellín traded its biggest theatre for its tallest skyscraper.

3What to look for

• The tip of the tower and the opening that recalls the eye of a needle.
• The corner of La Playa and Junín, where the old theatre stood.
• The La Bastilla building on the opposite corner, with its curved balconies.