The
Manzana de la Discordia is a block in Barcelona's
Eixample district on
Passeig de Gracia, between d'Arago and Consell de Cent. It is home to
four buildings of the
Modernisme style by four very different architects: (some pages in Spanish or Catalan)
The
Block (or Apple) of Discord, as it is known in Spanish, starts at
35 Passeig de Gracia, with the
Casa Lleo Morera. Built by
Lluis Domenich i
Montaner as a
private residence for the
Morera family. As was usual at the time, the stained glass, cabinetry, sculpture and other ornamentation was done by
renonwed local Catalan craftsmen.
Casa Mulleras, at 37 Passeig de Gracia, was renovated in 1906 by
Enric Sagnier and is a much
more classical building than its neighbors. Sagnier is most famous for
his work on
Tibidabo and the Palace of Justice. Casa Mulleras provides a counterpoint to the Modernisme that follows at ...
Casa Amataller, at
41 Passeig de Gracia. Built by
Josep Puig i Cadafalch for the Amataller family,
it now houses the
Amataller Institute of Hispanic Art.
Cadfalach was a prolific architect and
historian, most famous for his design of and salon at the
Casa Marti, or the
Four Cats.
Finally and possibly most famous, the
Casa Batllo, at 43 Passeig de la Gracia, was designed by
Antoni Gaudi. It was
renovated between 1904 and 1906 by Gaudi as a residence for the
Batllo family and also apartments. With its
iconic exterior, characteristic
trencadis mosaic, and
draconian roofline, it is one of the most photographed buildings (and a UNESCO
World Heritage Site) in Barcelona.
posted by ifandonlyif at 4:28 PM on December 29, 2012