La Pedrera, Modernist residential building in Eixample district, Barcelona, Spain
Description
La Pedrera is a residential building in the Dreta de l'Eixample neighborhood of Barcelona, Spain, designed with eight stories and a flowing stone facade. Two internal courtyards bring daylight into all apartments, while the exterior displays curved walls and wrought iron balconies that follow the natural lines of the structure.
History
Construction began in 1906 when businessman Pere Milà commissioned Antoni Gaudí to design apartments along Passeig de Gràcia, completing the work in 1912. The finished structure caused controversy among Barcelona residents who found its irregular forms and natural stone surfaces too different from conventional city architecture.
Culture
The building earned its popular name from the rough stone quarry-like appearance of its facade, which challenged traditional ideas about urban housing when construction finished. Inside, restored apartments show how affluent families arranged their daily lives in the 1920s, with period furnishings and layouts that reflect the social habits of early twentieth-century Barcelona.
Practical
The upper floors and rooftop remain open to visitors every day, with longer evening access between March and November. The lower levels host rotating exhibitions about Catalan architecture and daily life in early twentieth-century Barcelona, accessible from the main entrance on Passeig de Gràcia.
Did you know?
Thirty chimneys on the rooftop were shaped by Gaudí into anthropomorphic sculptures covered with ceramic fragments, making them appear like sentinels when viewed from below. Their hollow construction allows natural air circulation throughout the building without mechanical ventilation systems, combining function with sculptural form.
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