In the Raval, Antoni Gaudí erected the Palau Güell, the work that would give rise to his fruitful relationship with the industrialist and politician Eusebio Güell. Finished in 1888, coinciding with the Universal Exhibition, it became the patron's new residence for almost twenty years, before he moved to the house in Park Güell. The years have also taken their toll on this building, seeing how the Civil War turned it into a police station or an American multimillionaire wanted to dismantle it to take it to his country of origin. It was in 1945 when the Barcelona Provincial Council acquired it to guarantee its preservation and cultural dissemination, thus becoming the only work by the Barcelona architect of public ownership. Conceived as a dwelling and not as a museum, it has been the object of various reforms, which will now be complemented by an expansion of the facilities undertaken by the supramunicipal institution.
The Barcelona Provincial Council has had this project in mind since the early 2000s, but it has not been until this term that it has decided to give it a definitive boost. The expansion plan translates into the incorporation of the two buildings adjacent to the Palau Güell, with the aim of adding 1,500 square meters of surface area, of which 500 square meters will be for exhibition use. In this way, the entire monument, the only one Gaudí was able to see in his lifetime and where he used for the first time his famous parabolic arch and the trencadís, which invades the terrace, already hinting at the imagination of the Barcelona architect, can be shown to the public.
The expansion of the exhibition route will result in relocating services that are currently carried out inside Gaudí's building to the two annexed blocks. Likewise, spaces will be freed up for visitors, such as the dependencies that Güell used to command his businesses. Currently, what was his office, some offices, and an old library are closed to the public and are used for matters such as customer service. Facilities that today coexist with difficulty with the architecture of a building of these characteristics, such as electricity, air conditioning, or security, will also be moved.
Likewise, the intervention will respect the history behind the two buildings, remarks the head of Cultural Heritage of the Barcelona Provincial Council, Joan Closa. Casa Jordà, the furthest from La Rambla and with five floors, had already been built many years before Gaudí designed Palau Güell. The land had been occupied a few centuries earlier by an old school of Sant Àngel Màrtir dels Carmelites Calçats, a location they maintained until the area was urbanized and the house was built, at the end of the 18th century. Later, it was bombed in 1842 from Montjuïc by Espartero and the indiano Joan Jordà rebuilt it two years later with its current appearance.
At a technical level, the pre-existence of Casa Jordà implies that Gaudí conceived Palau Güell in harmony, so both buildings have their different floors at the same height. This will facilitate locating services or stairs and elevators in this annex, improving the accessibility of the museum. Thus, people with reduced mobility will be able to access the terrace, a space they cannot currently go to, although they will only be able to visit a part, taking into account that the Gaudinian orography has ups and downs that complicate passage. The connection between Casa Jordà and Palau Güell will be made through a light well between both buildings, without having to damage any element of Gaudí's work. This connection will also allow expanding the number of emergency exits.
On the other hand, Casa Fradera, shorter than Casa Jordà, was built in 1850, on the corner with La Rambla. Güell agreed with its owner, Llorenç Fradera, that he could not build any more floors. Above this property, Palau Güell connected with the house Güell's father had on La Rambla. This property will serve to resolve a deficiency of Gaudí's monument, providing an assembly hall and a room for temporary exhibitions, as well as a space to receive visitors more comfortably. A warehouse and management offices, more functional than the current ones, will also be located there.
The president of the Barcelona Provincial Council, Núria Marín, has detailed that the budget for the action will be five million euros. To this figure, another six million euros will have to be added for the acquisition of the properties, Casa Fradera and Casa Jordà. The first is still pending the final details of the purchase, while the second was acquired in 2014. According to Marín, the timeline they are working with places the completion of the works for 2026. While the works last, the Palau Güell will remain open.
Beyond opening new spaces to visitors and expanding the protection of the museum space, the Provincial Council's plan also links with an objective pursued by the Barcelona City Council in this area of the city, says the first deputy mayor, Jaume Collboni. The council is working on reinforcing its cultural axis, with examples such as the new Principal on La Rambla. Precisely, the theater is located behind the Palau Güell and it is contemplated to link both spaces with a corridor.
Being little known among Barcelonans themselves, this architectural gem in the heart of the city mainly attracts visitors from outside the country. Before the pandemic, in 2019, it received more than 200,000 visitors, with 92% coming from the rest of Europe, America or Asia. Last summer, with tourism still at half-throttle, it registered an influx of 83,800 visitors. As a curiosity for those who dare to visit it, on the terrace, one of the chimneys with trencadís features Cobi and the symbol of the Olympic Games. It was a small license in one of the reforms that have been undertaken.