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<\/p>\nBy Ferran Garc\u00e9s<\/p>\n
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The well-known novel by Eduardo Mendoza,\u00a0The City of Marvels<\/em>, takes place between 1888 and 1929, the years of the two universal exhibitions that transformed Barcelona into a cosmopolitan and modern city. The marvels of Gaud\u00ed\u2019s works also occurred, approximately, during this period. After exploring the houses where the architect lived, when he was still unknown, in his native land, Reus and Riudoms<\/a>, and the houses from his youth in the Old City<\/a> of Barcelona, today we\u2019ll look at his final residences, in \u201cthe new city\u201d, as Eduardo Mendoza describes it:<\/p>\n \u201cThe traveler who comes to Barcelona for the first time soon notices where the old city ends and the new one begins. From winding, the streets become straight and wider; the sidewalks, more spacious; tall plane trees pleasantly shade them; the buildings are more imposing; some are bewildered, believing they\u2019ve been magically transported to another city. Whether knowingly or not, Barcelonans themselves cultivate this illusion: when crossing from one sector to another, they seem to change their physique, attitude, and attire.\u201d (1) 227-239<\/em><\/p>\n Barcelona \u2013 Eixample<\/strong> <\/p>\n During his early years as an architect, Gaud\u00ed dressed well and showed no signs of the monastic austerity of his later years. He was elegant and enjoyed horse riding, theater, music, social gatherings, and excursions (see: from dandy to mystic<\/a>). In a short time, he became friends or acquaintances with the leading artistic figures of his time, as well as some of the most influential families. It was a golden opportunity for an architect. Areas that had been fields for centuries were transformed into a prominent city. Cultural activity was frenetic, even influencing the naming of streets. Indeed, as important as the Cerd\u00e0 Plan was the nomenclature proposed by writer and politician V\u00edctor Balaguer, a key figure of the Renaixen\u00e7a and Catalanism.<\/p>\n In the Cerd\u00e0 Plan, street names were letters and numbers. Balaguer, however, proposed a system focused on Catalonia\u2019s historical memory (2). In this way, the New City remained somehow connected to the Old City. The names of the Eixample streets would refer to historical events, past figures, national virtues, and institutions, such as Gaud\u00ed\u2019s two addresses: the Consell de Cent and the Diputaci\u00f3, both dating back to the Middle Ages.<\/p>\n Carrer Consell de Cent, 370,<\/a><\/strong>now 338 (1876 \u2013 c. 1889) The rest were: in the Old City, the streetlamps for Pla\u00e7a Reial and Pla de Palau, and the Palau G\u00fcell. In the New City, Casa Vicens and the pavilions of the Finca G\u00fcell. Some works even took him outside Barcelona, like L’Obrera Mataronense, and outside Catalonia, like Casa Botines and the Episcopal Palace of Astorga, in Le\u00f3n, which he worked on between this and his next residence. El Capricho in Comillas, Cantabria, was designed by him, but he never visited it. He also created ephemeral projects, such as the Pavilion of the Transatlantic Company, for the 1888 Exhibition.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, not everything was a success. Since arriving in Barcelona, Gaud\u00ed lived with his family, but gradually, they all died earlier than expected. In the Old City, his brother and mother passed away. At Consell de Cent, in 1879, his sister Rosa died. He and his father took care of Rosita, her daughter, but in a new home not far from the previous one.<\/p>\n Carrer Diputaci\u00f3, 339,<\/a><\/strong>now 273 (c. 1889 – 1906)<\/p>\n The address on Carrer Diputaci\u00f3 was very special for Gaud\u00ed, because on the same street lived Pepeta Moreu<\/a>, the woman he fell in love with but was not reciprocated. Despite the romantic disappointment, Gaud\u00ed had reasons to be happy, as we can see in a photo taken in Montserrat in 1904. In it, we see the architect wearing a hat, accompanied by his father, Rosita, his niece, and one of his best friends, Dr. Pere Santal\u00f3. After all, Love may have rejected Gaud\u00ed, but Art had blessed him. Now begins the artist\u2019s most creative period (see: One of the first works? One of the last?<\/a>)<\/p>\n The works from this period were: the Teresianas, the Celler G\u00fcell, Casa Calvet, Colonia G\u00fcell, Park G\u00fcell, the Catllar\u00e0s Chalet, Torre Bellesguard, and Casa Batll\u00f3, as well as the restoration of the cathedral of Mallorca and lesser-known projects that have not survived, such as a cinema, the Sala Merc\u00e8, and the Pomaret bridge (see: the neighbor of the chalet with a door for birds and a cinema<\/a>)<\/p>\n Gaud\u00ed rarely wrote, but in one of the few texts we know, he described his ideal home when he was still an architecture student (see: \u201cLa casa Pairal<\/a>\u201d). In it, he said things like \u201cThe owned house is the native country, the rented one is the country of emigration. That\u2019s why the owned house is everyone\u2019s ideal.\u201d The later paradox of his life is that, for a long time, Gaud\u00ed lived in several \u201ccountries of emigration.\u201d He had done so in the Old City and did so again in the New City, from 1868 to 1906. Stranger still, none of those \u201cemigration country\u201d houses were modernist or built by him.<\/p>\n Established Architect (1906\u20131926)<\/p>\n Gaud\u00ed House-Museum, Park G\u00fcell <\/strong><\/a>(1906 \u2013 late 1925)<\/p>\n The City of Marvels<\/em>\u00a0opened up many new areas. The most well-known is the Eixample, on the Barcelona plain, but the city also grew by absorbing and urbanizing the villages nestled in its hills, such as Sant Gervasi, the location of Torre Bellesguard, and Gr\u00e0cia, the site of Gaud\u00ed\u2019s second-to-last residence. It is the only home that has been preserved to this day and can be visited. It is known as the \u201cPink House\u201d and was built between 1904 and 1906 by Francesc Berenguer, one of Gaud\u00ed\u2019s oldest and closest friends\u2014they had studied together in Reus. The \u201cPink House\u201d was meant to showcase the urbanization of Park G\u00fcell. When it became clear the project had failed, Gaud\u00ed decided to purchase it. Today, it is one of Barcelona\u2019s most visited tourist spots, with narrow streets in every direction. In contrast, in 1906, this was the appearance of Gaud\u00ed\u2019s second-to-last residence:<\/p>\n Park G\u00fcell in 1906. Colorized postcard. Source: Wikipedia.<\/p><\/div>\n When Gaud\u00ed moved into the Pink House, he was fifty-four years old and would live there for about twenty years, until nearly his death. It is the residence where he spent the most time, but also where he completed the fewest works. Indeed, from this point on, the number of Gaud\u00ed\u2019s projects decreased, as he focused on a single one: the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia, a project he had accepted in 1883. The only exceptions were Casa Mil\u00e0, better known as La Pedrera, built between 1906 and 1912, and the provisional schools of the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia, completed in 1909\u2014the same year Gaud\u00ed finished Torre Bellesguard. Thanks to this final push, the temple had just begun to take shape, in a period in which the buildings that now surround it did not yet exist. Like Park G\u00fcell, the area around it was still sparsely populated.<\/p>\n As we\u2019ve seen, behind every move Gaud\u00ed made, there was a funeral. In the Old City, it was his brother and mother. On Consell de Cent, his sister. The new residence was no exception. In 1906, his father was buried; in 1912, his niece. Soon after, some of his friends also passed away, such as Francesc Berenguer, already mentioned, and painter Joan Llimona, his singing companion at the church of Sant Felip Neri, Gaud\u00ed\u2019s favorite. Others followed, including Eusebi G\u00fcell, his main patron, and Bishop Torras i Bages, a close confidant of the architect. Others, like Lloren\u00e7 Matamala, the main sculptor of the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia and whose home was like a second one for Gaud\u00ed, fell seriously ill around that time.<\/p>\n Increasingly withdrawn from the world, around 1912, Gaud\u00ed rejected any other projects and focused solely on one work he knew he would never see completed: the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia. Tradition attributes the following words to him:\u201cMy closest friends are dead; I have no family, no clients, no fortune, nothing. So I can devote myself entirely to the temple.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Sagrada Fam\u00edlia Workshop<\/a><\/strong> (November 1925 \u2013 June 10, 1926)<\/p>\n
\nYears of consolidation (1876 -1906)<\/p>\n
\nOn the other hand, despite leaving the Gothic Quarter, he never lost contact with it. Gaud\u00ed\u2019s first professional card shows his studio was on Carrer del Call, number 11, a street in the Old City where he had spent his early years in Barcelona. His home, however, was on one of the main streets of the new Eixample. Here begins the list of his major works, including the commission for the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia project, on November 3, 1883.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bellesguardgaudi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/430px-Gaudi_en_Montserrat_1904.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBarcelona, Gr\u00e0cia District<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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