The Foundation

This unique building was built by Francisco Alvargonzález Zarracina (1754-1835). He is the common ancestor of the four branches of the family that exist in the present time.

The building that nowadays hosts the main headquarters was, since its construction, a single family house and its property passed from parents to their children until it was sold at an unknown date.

In 1972 Juan Alvargonzález González acquired the building with the aim to create a documentary and iconographic archive related to the family starting from the inherited family collections.

At that time, the house consisted of three dwelling and the building was in a poor state of conservation. The restoration works were made by the architect Juan Bautista Martinéz Gemar and they ended in 1998. Some of the unique characteristics, like the wooden balconies, the wooden coffering in the roof and some inner beams, were maintained in the rehabilitation. Some changes are also made, such as the façade with the old stonewall exposed.

The activities envisaged in the Founding Statutes started in 1993, becoming the first year of real life of the foundation with the creation of a series of Prizes and Scholarships in collaboration with relevant institutions like the Army (where a great number of Alvargonzález family members served) and the University of Oviedo.