American millionaire Ethel Woodward's secret retreat in Malaga province town

With the line of “God keep you for many years” included, the mayor of Alhaurín de la Torre in Malaga province issued a building permit in favour of the American Ethel Woodward de Croisset on 12 March 1960. Born in 1914 in New York into the family of the banker and president of the Federal Reserve William Woodward and Elsie Cryder, she was a lady who became very famous for her philanthropy. In 1941, she married the French nobleman Philippe Wiener de Croisset, with whom she had two children. She was a millionaire by all accounts, a representative of the North American aristocracy, with a life of film that included vacations in Palm Beach, Florida. She died in Paris, where she was known for her support of culture.

During her time in Alhaurín de la Torre, with the approval of the local authorities, the developer commissioned a luxury villa from two architects who, over the years, gained great prestige: her compatriot Peter Graham Harnden and his Italian partner, Lanfranco Bombelli. Referring to these architects, Julio Fidel Garnica González-Barcena, from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, highlights their style as oscillating "between a passionate respect for the landscape and traditional construction, and the uninhibited display of a particular sense of comfort."

Apart from Alhaurín de la Torre, the hallmark of this couple, is also found in Cadaqués, or in the Casa del Príncipe, in Daimiel, where Pablo Alfonso de Metternich y Silva lived. “The house masterfully combined the traditional Andalusian model with the spaciousness and comfort of the American lifestyle. It had six bedrooms and five bathrooms, quite an eccentricity for Spain at that time,” says the former coordinator of the Sesmero centre for studies and research, councillor José Manuel de Molina.

“Its location on top of the hill of the Ermita del Cerro gave it privacy and tranquillity,” explains De Molina, who said that, in order to achieve greater isolation from the hustle and bustle of the world, Ethel Woodward de Croisset bought land adjacent to her estate to gain privacy. This high society woman lived in her Malaga retreat between 1961 and 1983. When she left Alhaurín de la Torre, the chalet ended up converted into a pub, El Cerro, and, although it stood until 2010, the building was finally destroyed by a fire and, currently, only its ruins can be visited. The fire destroyed this architectural heritage at a time when the town hall was considering its conservation for its construction values and for being part of local history, De Molina explains.

And we must not forget that, just like Ethel Woodward de Croisset, other foreigners settled in Alhaurín de la Torre, such as the Finnish colonel Carlos Von Haartman, a famous actor and highly successful soldier, or the German Rudolf Von Elsterman.

Ethel Woodward de Croisset was linked to Alhaurín de la Torre for more than two decades. What prompted her to settle almost six thousand kilometres from her Big Apple? Fame is sometimes complicated, as she knew when she separated from her French husband. And also in 1955, when she suffered a tremendous family tragedy, a great personal impact that amplified the fact that both she and her family were very well known, regularly featured in both serious and tabloid press. Her brother, William Woodward Jr, heir to a huge fortune, died at the hands of her sister-in-law Ann Arden Woodward. An event that Life magazine called "The Shooting of the Century."

William and Ann, a couple known for their separate and joint affairs, as well as a strong fondness for parties, alcohol, and debauchery in general — not to mention monumental arguments — had suffered a robbery at their mansion. One night, after returning from a party, each went to bed in their respective bedrooms, armed with their pistols. In the early hours, as Ann explained, strange noises woke her, and seeing a shadow in the doorway of her room, she fired her revolver at her husband. Although the investigation determined it was an accident, Ann, who confessed to the incident, was estranged from her in-laws and ultimately chose to end her life with cyanide. Her sister-in-law was less drastic and sought a remote location to overcome the tragedy.