A kilometer or so west of the Sagrada Família is another of Antoni Gaudí’s works, a distinctive
building popularly known as La Pedrera ("the quarry"). Principal construction of the
building took place between 1906 and 1910, but it was not certified as complete until 1912.
It's officially known as Casa Milà, after Pere Milà, the wealthy developer who enlisted
Gaudí to build it. It was designed as something of a hybrid building - partly a residence for
the Milà family, and partly a block of apartments to be rented out. It was originally supposed
to include quite a bit of religiously-themed ornamentation (including large statues of the
Virgin Mary and archangels), but this plan ran afoul of local building codes and a
then-prevailing trend of anticlericalism, so these elements ended up being largely excluded.
Gaudí came close to quitting the project because of these exclusions, but was fortunately
talked out of it by a priest. For more background on the building, and more, see
the official La Pedrera website.
We emerged from the "Diagonal" Metro station and walked to a vantage point across the street
from the building. Overall, the building looks a little like it was made from wax and left out
in the sun too long. Architectural elements involving straight lines are not in evidence – no
doubt Gaudí's trademark emulation of structures found in nature (also much in evidence at the
Sagrada Família). Covering the façade were many balconies, with wrought-iron railings that
looked as though they were made from pieces of scrap metal, twisted and randomly welded
together. These were apparently the work of the architect Josep Maria Jujol, who worked with
Gaudí and contributed a number of decorative elements to the building. Also somewhat visible
from across the street were some very odd-looking chimneys emerging from the roof. More
tantalizing details to reinforce our determination to see what was inside this unusual
building.
Roof with Tourists
Façade with Details
Balconies
South Façade
Balconies from Below
Though there are still private residents of La Pedrera, public access to parts of the building
is available. You have to stand in a line and buy tickets, though. The line wasn't too long, but
it was pretty slow – we ended up waiting about half an hour. When we got in, we started out in a
fairly narrow courtyard which was open to the sky and had an unusual color scheme with striking
painted details (apparently another Jujol contribution).
Courtyard
Courtyard Stairway
Painted Ceiling
Painted Ceiling
We took an elevator to the first stop of the unguided tour, a small museum in the attic.
Here we found exhibits showing some of Gaudí's inspirations from nature, scale models and
even Gaudí-designed furniture.
Nella and Tourists
Nella Taking Picture
"Paraboloids" Hanging from Ceiling
Tree with Branches
Pinecones and Corn Cobs
Snake Skeleton and Shells
Gaudí-Designed Chairs
We then proceeded to the next stop – the roof. Here we found ourselves in a forest of the
weirdest chimneys we'd ever seen. Undoubtedly some of the chimneys weren't really chimneys
(some of them were probably vents, and some things looked like they might just be access
points for stairways), but all were unique and displayed Gaudí's attention to detail.
Chimneys
The Roof
Nella and Roof
Chimney Group
Bob with Chimneys
The Roof
Courtyard Windows and Roof
Chimneys and Sagrada Família
The Roof
Nella and Chimneys
We could also see down into the building's courtyards, giving us a different vantage point.
Courtyard
And being on the roof, we also had a pretty good view of part of Barcelona.
Sagrada Família
Our next stop was a many-roomed apartment which was furnished and kept in a condition to
exhibit the living situation of an early 20th Century bourgeois family.
Dining Room
Bed
View from Balcony
Typewriter
Lace
Window with Lace Curtains
Kitchen Table
Stove
Recreational Equipment
Maid's Quarters
Ironing Board and Sewing Machine
Small Stove with Irons
Children's Playroom
Children's Clothes
The tour ended, we returned to the courtyard, on ground level.
Nella and Exit Gate
We emerged from the building and found ourselves back on the main street, the
Passeig de Gràcia. This street is interesting in its own right, being the site
of a number of other architectural experiments from the early 20th Century. We turned
left and started walking.