Jaime Martínez Llabrés signs the acquisition of the Gesa building and the two adjoining plots, achieving the full municipalization of the seafront in Palma.
The transactional agreement between Cort and Endesa ends over 15 years of litigation and administrative claims. The building will serve as the headquarters and nucleus of the future Palma Culture and Innovation Bay, hosting spaces for municipal library and archive, the Municipal Institute of Arts, an auditorium, cultural and exhibition center, as well as citizen service offices and parking facilities, among other amenities.
On February 24, 2025, the Mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez Llabrés, signed the acquisition of the Gesa building and the two adjacent plots, allowing the entire seafront in Palma, from Baluard del Príncep to the Congress Palace, to become municipal property. This purchase marks the conclusion of over 15 years of legal procedures and administrative claims, which would have cost the Ajuntament around 60 million euros.
Simultaneously, this acquisition fulfills the municipal objective of recovering and integrating this part of the city’s seafront, considering its strategic location and the key role it must play in the organization and realization of the Palma Culture & Innovation Bay, a major city project presented on February 17, where the Gesa building plays a fundamental role.
After the purchase was formalized at the municipal council chambers, the Mayor, accompanied by other institutional representatives, visited the interior of the building, now municipal property. Among those present were the Deputy Mayor and councilor for Culture, Tourism, Sports, and Municipal Coordination, Javier Bonet; the councilor for Environment, Sustainability, Natural Spaces, Animal Welfare, and Innovation, Llorenç Bauzá de Keizer, and the councilor for Finance, Public Function, and Internal Government, Mercedes Celeste. From the Government, the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sports, Jaume Bauzá, attended.
«Today is a historic day for the city, as the seafront officially becomes the property of all the citizens of Palma,» emphasized the first councilor of Cort, highlighting that this space «will be one of the major projects of the Palma Culture and Innovation Bay to truly transform the seafront and the territorial and social cohesion of Palma and its citizens.»
Building Details:
The Gesa building, classified by the Consell de Mallorca in 2007, covers a total area of 15,915 square meters, stands 34 meters high, and consists of 13 floors, with two below ground level. The acquisition cost was 25,365,575 euros, with 16,916,856 euros allocated for compensation and cancellation of urban charges owed to Endesa. The remaining amount will be covered by the 10 million euros granted by the Conselleria to the Ajuntament for the building acquisition under the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan.
As for the two adjacent plots, the cost was 5,203,000 euros, including VAT. Their respective areas are 1,638 and 1,644 square meters. The strategic geographical location of the building and the two adjoining plots, situated in a prime location, make this infrastructure a highly strategic hub facing the Bay of Palma.
The municipal space will be the «nucleus» and will house the headquarters of the Palma Culture and Innovation Bay, a project in collaboration with the Government, Consell de Mallorca, UIB, and the APB, aiming to transform the Nou Llevant neighborhood into a district based on innovation, sustainability, blue economy, culture, housing, and mobility.
Within this transformative project, the building will serve as the new Central Culture and Innovation Building, becoming a reference space for art and culture in the city, in line with the aspiration to make Palma the European Capital of Culture in 2031. «This building will have an important part in cultural center, exhibitions, and displays,» emphasized Martínez Llabrés.
It is also planned to locate the future Municipal Institute of Arts headquarters in this infrastructure, a large central library «of the 21st century» linked to a playroom and media library, an auditorium, citizen service offices, spaces for the municipal archive, and parking facilities, among other uses.
To materialize the transformation of this building, the Ajuntament will soon promote a design contest «to truly be a transformative project for the city» and for the future of Palma, «which involves this seafront being owned by all Palma residents,» concluded the Mayor.
FUENTE