Zamora experienced its period of splendour in the 12th century, an age to which its important Romanesque heritage dates back. In contrast, its subsequent historical development was dominated by an evident inertia. However, during the last part of the 19th century and early years of the 20th century, it began to awaken from its slumber and underwent a period of expansion as a result of the development of its flour industry. This coincided with a generation of talented architects who were responsible for designing some notable buildings in the city, amongst which included iron, neo-medieval, eclectic, regionalist and Modernista architectural works. But only one of these architects was Zamoran: Segundo Viloria, the rest, such as Francisco Ferriol from Barcelona, Gregorio Pérez Arribas from Avila and Antonio García Sánchez-Blanco from Madrid, arrived in the city as civil servants.

Ferriol graduated from the Architecture School of Barcelona in 1894 and was responsible for the introduction of Modernisme to Zamora. From his arrival in 1907 to his departure in 1916, he designed quite a few Modernista buildings, whose striking appearance had a profound impact on some of his colleagues. But the style only lasted for a short time, having only fully appeared in 1908 and disappearing entirely by 1918.

Ferriol's work had a close relationship with a part of Catalan Modernisme and was characterised by its verticality and rich repertoire of plant motifs set in the enclosures and ledges of recesses and door transoms. Buildings like the one located between the Ronda de la Feria and Carretera de Sanabria (c.1912) are a good example of his decorative style. In some cases, the decorations are reinforced by colours, as can be seen by the impressive Casa Macho (1914), in Plaza de Sagasta. The influence of Gaudí's Casa Calvet (1898) can also be appreciated in his work, especially in his tendency to crown his buildings with undulating lines, proof of which can be found in Casa Aguiar (1908), in Plaza del Mercado; Casa Matilla (1911, enlarged in 1915), in Calle Santa Clara, which has also retained its rich Modernista decoration in the main entrance, and Casa Gato (1912), at the corner of Calle Nicasio Gallego and Calle Ramón Álvarez. Another feature of his work is the use of circular or square elements inspired by Catalan heraldry and placed in the upper sections of his buildings with the aim of providing light to the attics, as occurs in the aforementioned Casa Gato. Undulating cornice lines are also present in the carpentry, as can be seen in a house he designed in Calle Orejones (c. 1915), which also incorporates ceramic work in its façade.

Compared to the Catalan foundations of Ferriol's work, other Modernista buildings in the city are covered with Secessionist details, with typical pendulums and discs combined with other Modernista elements. This can be seen in Casa Félix Galarza (1909) and Casa Francisco Antón Casaseca (1913), both of which are located in Calle Santa Clara.