Episode 10: Macaya House

Casa Macaya is located at Paseo de San Juan, number 108. This is a fantastic Modernist building by the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, commissioned by the industrialist Román Macaya Gibert. However, due to its location, a little out of the Modernist epicenter of Paseo de Gracia, tourists often miss this building. As we have seen, Puig i Cadafalch undertook a range of residential works for the established Catalan bourgeoisie of traders and industrialists. All of these projects fall within the dominant style of the time: Modernism. The façade of the Casa Macaya is decorated in a similar manner to medieval palaces, with white stucco, which contrasted with the stone frames that project slightly and the russet tones of the sgraffito. However, despite this austerity in the white stucco façades, Casa Macaya does not lack Modernist elements, which are particularly noticeable in the embellishments of the continuous balcony, the exterior staircase with its lavish decoration, the various floral and allegorical motifs, classic and Arab elements in columns and capitals, sgraffito, wrought works in windows and balconies, and a small gallery. In the capital on the left side of the main entrance, we can see the figure of a cyclist – a detail by the sculptor in honor of Puig i Cadafalch, who was working on the construction of Casa Amatller at the time and traveled between the two works (from Paseo de Gracia to Paseo de San Juan) on a bicycle. The vestibule and the indoor patio can be visited, where you can admire a marvelous set of details and the staircase accessing the main floor. After being used as a prison during the Civil War and suffering considerable damage, the Casa Macaya was acquired by La Caixa and converted into a Cultural Center for art exhibitions.
Photo Casa Macaya (Barcelona) - 1 by Jaume Meneses is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0