The Casino de Alcázar developed a significant cultural and recreational activity in the city. The current building, completed its construction in 1911, had its own theater, the “Teatro Principal”, where theatrical performances, variety shows, tributes, rallies and especially the carnival masked balls were held, which gave it great popularity, extending the prominence and influence of the Casino also to the political life.
After housing some of the municipal offices inside the building since 1940, in 1944 the Consistory signed the definitive purchase of the building located, until 1930, in a building from the 19th century. XVI, now disappeared.
The main facade is reminiscent of the facades of Italian Renaissance palaces. It is composed of two bodies separated by a cornice decorated with corbels that provide a marked horizontal effect; in turn, it consists of three lanes divided by flat pilasters topped by a mixed capital. The central street is crowned by a triangular pediment that is currently framing a clock, but was originally decorated with a relief that represented the development and economic activities that the city had achieved at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The floor plan of the building was constructed in the shape of an inverted T. The main door leads to a large vestibule that opens with an imperial style staircase with two lateral arms and 33 steps that has always been considered as the crowning glory of the building. The first floor probably consisted of two large rooms. Only the one on the left of great amplitude is conserved, roofed with a flat roof and adorned with plasterwork that simulates Roman coffered ceilings. It is currently used for important events with the nickname “Salón Noble”. The main hall, which contains the staircase, covers its white marble floor in balance with the staircase with wooden balustrade, varnished today, but originally enameled in white imitating marble. This baluster was topped with eight globes, one at each vertex of the railing and two lamps at the beginning of the staircase. The interior roof of this large rectangular space consists of a flat vault on pendentives, lowered with lunettes in the openings, whose ceiling is decorated with coffered plasterwork and, in the central part, with a frieze of cordon and three decorated plements.
Both in its exterior and interior, some singular decorative elements are preserved, such as the intertwined hands under the head of the god Aeolus carved in the wood of the main door of the building, or the frieze that runs along the upper part of the current plenary hall, second floor, where the god Bacchus and symbols of solar character are represented.
The Greco-Latin mythology described in the pediment is linked to another symbolism directly related to the main activities of Alcázar at the beginning of the 20th century, which clearly stand out in this relief. The economic sectors are represented together with the gods.
