This square is located in the Grao neighborhood, at the end of Avenida del Puerto. This neighborhood was an independent municipality, from 1826 to 1897, which bore the name of Vila Nova del Grao.
The church in the background is that of Santa María del Mar, of medieval foundation, although the current one dates from the seventeenth century. In 1802 it was renovated in a classicist style. During the Civil War, due to its proximity to the port, its tower served as an antiaircraft defense.
The towns located on the coast, Grao and Cabañal, would not pass to Valencia until 1897. Until then they had remained autonomous populations.
In these towns, a popular architecture developed between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which appears as a free and original interpretation of modernism.
This architecture is the latest manifestation of a non-professional construction in Valencia and is full of new features and a slightly naive charm.
In general, the modernist influence is manifested in the stucco decoration and in the tiles.
The plan to extend Avenida Blasco Ibáñez threatened the destruction of this historical heritage.
This chalet houses memories, personal objects and literary works of the Valencian writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez.
It has three floors, the ground floor dedicated to the Assembly Hall. In the first is the museum itself and the second, dedicated to research, contains manuscripts and numerous editions of his works.
The building was designed by the architect Vicente Bochons Llorente for the writer. It was seized by the Francoist city council after the Civil War and used by the Naval Arrows of the Movement. Later, in the 80s of the 20th century, it fell into disuse and was ruined, being demolished.
In the 1990s, the Valencia City Council had to rebuild it in its entirety, respecting its original appearance. It was inaugurated as the Blasco Ibáñez House Museum in 1997.