Palacete do Conde de Agrolongo

Palacete do Conde de Agrolongo is an urban mansion in Lisbon's Estrela parish, at Rua do Sacramento à Lapa 34. It was built in 1909 to a design by architect Arnaldo Adães Bermudes and is still used as a residence. That same year the project received an honourable mention in the Prémio Valmor architecture awards.

Who commissioned the building?

The client was José Francisco Correia, Viscount of Sande and Count of Agrolongo. The building takes its name from his title. He ordered a prestigious town residence in the Lapa district, an area favoured by wealthy Lisbon families in the early twentieth century.

Who was the architect?

Arnaldo Redondo Adães Bermudes was a Portuguese architect who worked in Lisbon at the turn of the twentieth century. He studied at the University of Porto, and his name is tied to a number of buildings in the capital. The Agrolongo mansion is one of them and an example of private residential architecture from that period.

What is the Prémio Valmor?

The Prémio Valmor is an architecture award given by the city of Lisbon for the best buildings erected in the capital. It was established in the early twentieth century and honours both designers and owners. In 1909 the Agrolongo mansion did not win the main prize, but it received an honourable mention. It is one of the few buildings distinguished that way in that year which remain in good condition and still serve residents.

What does the building look like?

It is an urban mansion laid out on a square plan. Its character is above all residential: it is not a museum or a public institution, but a home that has kept its original purpose for more than a century. Because people live there, it is seen from the outside, from street level.

Where is it?

The address is Rua do Sacramento à Lapa 34, in the Estrela parish of Lisbon. The surroundings are quiet and residential, with narrow streets, former townhouses and views over the city's hills. The mansion fits easily into a walk through Lapa and neighbouring Estrela, alongside other early twentieth-century houses.

Frequently asked questions

Can I go inside? No. The building is used as housing, so it can only be viewed from the street.

When was it built? In 1909, commissioned by the Count of Agrolongo.

Who designed it? Architect Arnaldo Adães Bermudes.

Why is it notable? It received an honourable mention in the 1909 Prémio Valmor and is among the few such buildings that remain in good condition.

Which district is it in? The Estrela parish of Lisbon, in the Lapa area.

Is it worth seeing? Yes, if you are interested in early twentieth-century Lisbon architecture and Prémio Valmor buildings. It takes a few minutes and combines well with a stroll around the neighbourhood.