In this post, we explore more about Casa Viçens, a "hidden" Gaudí gem. Perhaps it is a bit odd to refer to a building by Barcelona’s favourite architect, Antoni Gaudí, as a hidden gem, however, this house – his very first commission – is easy to overlook due, in part, to its location. Casa Viçens is located on C/de les Carolines, 20, in the bohemian Grácia neighbourhood. Until recently it was under private ownership, closed to the public, and as it now is open to visitors, we find this an opportune time to remind people of its existence! The house was completed in 1885 on a commission for Barcelona businessman, Manuel Viçens. Casa Viçens was constructed as a summer house for the family on the outskirts of the, then-independent town of Grácia, which just five years earlier had received town status and housed just 13.000 inhabitants. For architecture buffs, the first thing you will notice about the building is the Moorish influence, which was all the rage in the 1880s. Early on in his career, even the eccentric Antoni Gaudí was influenced by the trends of the day! One element typical of Gaudí is, however, evident: the mixing of materials. The architect was, throughout his whole career, fascinated by the potential of different materials and the putting together of disparate types to create a new whole. The house stands today as it did in 1885, with the exception of an expansion to the rear of the building, overseen by architect Juan Sierra de Martinez in 1925. This, and other changes done on the property, were in fact approved by the original architect, who was by then working “full time” on the Sagrada Familia, his great achievement. Architectural Style and Significance We have already mentioned the Moorish influence, and this so-called
In this post, we explore more about Casa Viçens, a “hidden” Gaudí gem. Perhaps it is a bit odd to refer to a building by Barcelona’s favourite architect, Antoni Gaudí, as a hidden gem, however, this house – his very first commission – is easy to overlook due, in part, to its location. Casa Viçens
