The first building by Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona, Casa Vicens, will open its doors to the public in fall of 2017, following an extensive restoration and renovation project. Built in 1885, Casa Vicens is regarded as a historical monument in Barcelona, and was officially deemd a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. It is the eighth in Barcelona to receive this title, and the last one to be opened to the public.
The colorful house was designed as a summer home for broker-dealer Manel Vicens i Montaner, who was one of the first clients of then 31-year-old Gaudí. In 1899, another family purchased the ornate residence, and later converted it into a triplex in 1925 with the direction of Joan Baptista Serra de Martínez, who was a friend of Gaudí's. During that process one of the original staircases was removed from the interior of the site.
The house later went on the market in 2007, and remained in real estate limbo until 2014 when MoraBanc, a private family bank in Andorra, Spain, purchased it with the intention of turning it into a museum. Those familiar with the century-old building process of Gaudí's La Sagrada Familia church could understand why this renovation project took some time, as well.
Martínez Lapeña-Torres Arquitectes and Daw Office, both based out of Barcelona, Spain, are the firms behind the project, with architects José Antonio Martínez Lapeña, Elías Torres, and David García masterminding the restoration. The first phase of the rehabilitation began in April 2015, and the full execution began on September 19, 2016.
Casa Vicens, unlike anything previously built in Catalonia, displays unexpected interpretations of Catalan construction traditions through decorative and symbolic elements—including a vast use of color and mosaics—and reflects the creative freedom that would become the hallmark of Gaudí’s career. The house preludes his Art Nouveau style and work in Catalonia, and is an example of the aesthetic renewal of art and architecture taking place in Europe during the late 19th century.
Other buildings in Barcelona by the Spanish architect regarded as the pioneer of Catalan Modernism include the Casa Batlló, Casa Milá, and Park Güell.
