Episode 9: Comalat House, Palace of the Baron of Quadras and House of the Spikes

As we continue along Avenida Diagonal, at number 442 we find Casa Comalat, one of the most original examples of Modernism in Barcelona, by the architect Salvador Valeri i Pupurull, which features many elements of Gaudí’s architecture. Casa Comalat is a building made up of two different façades. These share a common formal feature: the Gaudí-esque curve that is reminiscent of the Casa Battló. The main façade, which faces Avenida Diagonal, has a more formal and symmetric air. Its key elements are the central gallery, finished in pinnacle form; the curved balconies with wrought iron railings, and the chiseled opening of the upper part of the façade with detailed floral décor. The whole is crowned by a tower shaped like a Harlequin hat coated with green stained glass ceramics. However, the part facing calle Córcega is entirely covered with polychrome-ceramic decoration that extends over the whole façade, with undulating forms and wooden galleries closed by blinds. Continuing along Avenida Diagonal, we reach number 373, the location of Palau Quadras or Palacio del Barón de Quadras (Palace of the Baron of Quadras), another Modernist building designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch. Like the previous stop, this is a construction with two façades displaying completely different styles. One façade is a Neo-Gothic palace, and the other a Modernist apartment block. If we look at the house from Avenida Diagonal, it recalls the Gothic palaces of northern Europe, with a Neo-Plateresque style that adds a noble air to the construction. The most striking thing about this façade is certainly its gallery, which features eye-catching sculptures in the form of busts of medieval or Renaissance figures, flowers, Heraldic coats of arms, and in the left corner, Saint George fighting a dragon. In contrast, the façade on calle Rosselló preserves elements of the old building and is decorated in the Modernist style. The palace is currently the headquarters of the Casa Asia (Asia House). Lastly, at Avenida Diagonal number 416, we see the Casa de les Punxes (House of the Spikes) in the form of a medieval Gothic castle, and also a work of Josep Puig i Cadafalch. The brick-built façade is eye-catching due to the reliefs sculpted in stone with floral designs on its galleries and balconies, and the ceramic panels in the upper part of the building with clear references to patriotic symbols of Catalonia. The house culminates in four conical towers with a pointed spike, which is where the name comes from, although it is also known as Casa Terrades (Terrades House).
Photo Salvador.Valeri.i.Pupurull.Casa Comalat.Back.Detail.2.Barcelona by Yearofthedragon is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0