From west to east it consists of: By the end of the 18th century architect José de Hermosilla was entrusted by King Charles III to urbanize the area of the old Bajo Abroñigal (or Valnegral) river, which flowed from Chamartín to Plaza Atocha.

The French troops managed to break through El Retiro, outflanking the gates of Recoletos, Alcalá and Atocha, leading to Madrid's capitulation the following day.

[2] During the Civil War the statues and fountains along the Paseo de Recoletos and El Prado were hidden under protection sacks, which led the area to be nicknamed "of the twilight of the gods".

The first and largest stretch of the boulevard (from Plaza Cibeles to Calle de Prim) has a row of eight ponds lined with white double doric columns.

It also has a monument dedicated to Spanish author Juan Valera and one of his best known works, Pepita Jiménez, a statue of Ramón del Valle-Inclán and a drinking fountain.

The pedestrian walk is lined with stands several times a year: Paseo de Recoletos is also used as an outdoors temporary exhibition place: Other events: The first building next to the Jardines del Descubrimiento is the Casa del Tesoro (numbers 20/22 of the boulevard), built around 1568 and occupied since 1711 by the Biblioteca Nacional (Recoletos side) and the National Archeological Museum (Serrano street side).

In that terrain had stood since the 17th century the Pósito de la Villa, a big cereal warehouse with reserves to be used in times of shortage.

In Recoletos (number 3) and right in front of the Palacio de Linares lies a six-storey office building built in 1975 and renovated in 2000 bought in July 2006 by Grupo Ballester.

In 1836 during the Desamortización of Mendizábal the convent was transformed into a wood warehouse, until 1852, when the Franciscan nuns came back under the protection of Mariano Téllez Girón Beaufort, duke of Osuna and Medina de Rioseco.