[3][4] This building, which was constructed for the Exposición Nacional de Minería (1883), features ceramic tiles made by Daniel Zuloaga.

Velázquez taught the Spanish architect Antonio Palacios who was influenced by his eclectic and modern style; it is sometimes called "emphatic eclecticism".

He was involved in archaeological and conservation projects, notably in the province of Córdoba, where he was assisted by the sculptor Mateo Inurria who was Director of the arts school of Cordoba.

[7] As an archaeologist, Ricardo Velázquez Basco was involved in the excavation of two Islamic heritage sites near Córdoba in 1910/11: It has been suggested that there was a political motive for these excavations, as Spain was in the process of colonizing Morocco, a Muslim country; a process which culminated in 1912 when Spain and France made Morocco its “protectorate.”[10] Velázquez undertook restoration/conservation works at the Cathedral–Mosque of Córdoba.

The building had been declared a national monument in 1882; the works involved the reversal of accretions, for example, removing an altarpiece from the mihrab and a lean-to structure from the west façade.