140 Years of Barrabino Family History in Torremolinos

Amid the development of the works promoted by the City Council for the rehabilitation and opening to the public, as a municipal facility, of the House of María Barrabino, the chronicler of Torremolinos, Carlos Blanco Cabrera, echoes in one of his publications on local history, the moment when this family begins its relationship with the coastal city.

Indeed, in 2026, when the works being carried out on the bourgeois residence are expected to be completed, it will mark, as Blanco Cabrera remembers, 140 years since an event that, in the 19th century, marked the destiny of a corner of the municipal area that, over time, has become a privileged corner, in the heart of the urban center.

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"On December 17, 1886, Don Miguel Barabino Melgar acquired for 21,500 pesetas from Doña Josefa Gandolfo Piaya, the San Miguel estate," specifies the historian. There stands the famous mansion. Regarding the property, at that time a country house, it is noted that it includes a "recreation house with garage and oratory," as well as a dwelling for the gardener, gardens, trees, and water rights.

The property is enclosed, as stated in the documentation scrutinized by the chronicler, "by a masonry wall" and consists of "two and a half fanegas of land," about 16,000 square meters, if converted.

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This land borders to the east and south with the Benalmádena road, "which has the main entrance," Cabrera continues, "to the west with the mill stream and to the north with the garden named Hoyo," the street that, in a straight line from the Aranda river, reaches the mansion.

A benefactor who came from Córdoba

María Barrabino, heiress of the house by her aunt María Melgar, is considered one of the great benefactors of the municipality. Her family owned most of the Costa del Sol square, as well as the entrance of Los Manantiales Avenue and Independence Square, as part of the estate she owned, although from the beginning of the 20th century she began divesting lands, generally ceding them to the City Council for symbolic prices.

Barrabino, born in Córdoba, settled definitively in Torremolinos after spending part of her childhood and youth there. Financially comfortable, she dedicated her life to performing charitable works, including distributing food among the less fortunate classes.

In September 2017, the City Council agreed to the acquisition of the House of María Barrabino, a heritage property that reflects the tastes of the 19th-century Malaga bourgeoisie and connects with the first visits to Torremolinos as a tourist destination. The purchase was closed for 1.1 million euros with the owner's descendants.

The work is credited to the architect Gerónimo Cuervo and is considered a General Cataloging Asset

Although the house, designed by Gerónimo Cuervo, the architect of the Cervantes Theater, is not considered a Cultural Interest Asset, it is subject to the precautions included in the General Cataloging Asset of the Council, which means that the frescos on the upper floor wall facing the staircase, or the Nolla tile flooring, must be respected whenever possible, or replaced with tiles from the same factory, in addition to preserving some coffered ceilings and stained glass, even if incomplete.

The Barrabinos lived in the villa until 1997. Two decades passed before the City Council bought it, during which time the property suffered great deterioration. In 2019, emergency works were undertaken to prevent further damage, and subsequently, funding was received for the current project, which started in May, with strict deadlines.

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Months of execution are planned for this rehabilitation, which receives 65.03% of aid from the European Union

This is an investment of 2.5 million euros, of which Brussels contributes 65.03% under the Government's Program for the Promotion of Energy Rehabilitation of Public Buildings. The EU has established that, for the delivery of the aid, the works, with 11 months of execution planned, must be completed and received before February 26, 2026.

The opening of the House of María Barrabino to the public will allow for spaces that can be used for social purposes, facilities related to urban regeneration, or the history of tourism.