CASA CALVET
Year of construction: 1898 – 1900
At the end of the 19th century, the right-hand side of the Eixample district was turning into a flourishing neighbourhood inhabited to a great extent by prosperous textile manufacturers. One of them, Pere Màrtir Calvet, commissioned Antoni Gaudí to build a traditional rental apartment building where he could install his business in the basement and on the ground floor, and use the principal or main floor as his family residence.
The legacy left by Gaudí at the little-known Calvet House has been admirably well preserved, even though its uses and its owners have changed over the course of the years. In particular, this building is essential for an understanding of the evolution of the architect and of his architecture in a broader sense, at the time when he had already earned the professional respect of the Church, the aristocracy, the bourgeoisie and the public authorities. Perhaps it was precisely this respect which led the City Council to close its eyes to the height of the building, which was a few metres taller than the maximum allowed by the municipal ordinances. Indeed, when Gaudí was informed of this circumstance, he refused to change his drawings, “threatening” to lop off the top of the building right along the line that the City Council would be pleased to mark. Fortunately enough, the matter never reached that point.
OPENING HOURS
The restaurant is the only part of the building open to visits.
HOW TO GET THERE
Caspe 48, Barcelona
Bus: 7, 47, 50, 54, 62, H12
Metro: L4 / L1 – Urquinaona station
If you need information about the visit, contact with us.
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