Look straight ahead in the Plaza de la Corrada del Obispo for a grand, two-story stone building with ornate windows and balconies, flanked by elegant wooden bay windows on each side-this is the Casa del Deán Payarinos.
As you stand here, imagine yourself at the very spot where, back in 1900, the sounds of hammers and saws echoed through the square as the famous architect Juan Miguel de la Guardia worked his magic. This home was commissioned by Benigno Rodríguez Pajares, a local canon with a taste for both style and legacy-maybe he wanted his house to hit a high note, because today it serves as Oviedo’s main Conservatory of Music! Picture the building’s original, classy façade, those majestic neoclassical shapes softened by quirky wooden bay windows, silently watching over the plaza. But here’s a twist: although that stone face looks set in time, the inside is a different tune altogether. The interior was reinvented in the 1980s-a bit like swapping your violin for an electric guitar-so the place could welcome a new generation of young musicians.
Step a bit closer and listen! If you pause, you might almost hear the echo of pianos and violins floating through those old windows. This house has gone from private haven to living, breathing hub of musical creativity, proving even buildings can have second acts worthy of a standing ovation!
