Plaza de Tirso de Molina (Madrid)

The Plaza de Tirso de Molina (formerly known as Plaza del Progreso) is a public space in the centre of Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain, with a triangular layout, which extends towards Calle de la Magdalena and the neighbouring Plaza de Antón Martín. It is named after Tirso de Molina, a 17th-century Spanish playwright who has a statue dedicated to him there. The urban complex forms the northern boundary of the Lavapiés neighborhood.

History

The square has existed since 1840, occupying the land that would be left after the demolition of the convent of Nuestra Señora de la Merced, also called the convent of la Merced. When Salustiano Olózaga was the mayor of Madrid, he was in charge of cleaning the land, planting some trees and giving the initial name of the Plaza del Progreso by placing a plaque with the name. Olózaga’s sudden measure irritated the Ministry of the Interior (led by Saturnino Calderón Collantes) for having disposed of state land without consulting, to which Olozága responded that he cleaned the land in accordance with public hygiene measures.

The location of a statue of Juan Álvarez Mendizábal, the work of José Gragera y Herboso, led to it being popularly known for a time as Plaza de Mendizábal. The Madrid Metro station (Tirso de Molina) on the first Metro line was opened to the public on 26 December 1921 under the name Progreso. One of the sides of the square offers access to the Teatro Nuevo Apolo.

The square is remembered by Joaquín Calvo Sotelo in a play entitled Milagro en la Plaza del Progreso (premiered at the Teatro Infanta Isabel in Madrid on 18 November 1953).

The Valencian Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida had his first painting studio in this square in 1889.

The square undertook a major revamp in the 2000s, seeking to reinforce its value as pedestrian area. The project was authored by the Haiku Studio. The reform was inaugurated in 2006.