Which neoclassical building in Madrid was designed by Juan de Villanueva?

The Prado Museum in Madrid was designed by the neoclassical architect Juan de Villanueva.

Villanueva designed the building in 1785 on the orders of King Charles III. It was not originally planned as an art museum: the intended occupants were the Natural History Cabinet and related scientific institutions forming part of Madrid’s Enlightenment-era cultural development. Its long galleries, measured proportions, classical columns, and restrained ornament reflect Spanish Neoclassicism.

The building’s purpose changed after the Napoleonic period. Ferdinand VII, encouraged by Queen María Isabel de Braganza, selected it for a Royal Museum of Paintings and Sculptures. That museum opened to the public in November 1819 and eventually became the Museo Nacional del Prado.

A common mix-up is to treat the Prado as a building designed from the start for its present collection. Villanueva created the structure, but its museum identity came later. The architect also designed Madrid’s Royal Observatory and worked on other major Spanish neoclassical projects.