The building that got the award of ‘Arts Building Annual Award’, awarded for most modernist piece in 19001, the Casa Calvet was fully built and furnished in 18992. Also considered to be a world heritage site, Gaudi devolved this building for a client of his that wanted to have his business on the ground floor with his home taking up the next few levels. Pere Martir Calvet was a textile manufacture, who wanted to express his life into a building like Gaudi did into many of his.
Gaudi had a hard time with the permits of this building because it did not meet the height requirements, which the city of Barcelona set in place3. Although it came nowhere near short of extravagant. People considered the Casa Cavlet to be a more conservative building. Still continuing with the organic naturalist theme that Gaudi puts into all his buildings the Casa Cavlet has granite columns and arch ways that are shaped like vines. The wrought iron balconies were also done by the same worker that did the iron rod balconies on the Casa Mila and who also helped in the creation of Park Guell, jujol4. Just like every other building, symbolic messages are only known by the people who have created this building, and then leaked to the public. Over the door there is a ‘C’ symbolizing the last name initial of the owner. A cypress supports the main gallery which means hospitality is brought over anyone who walks through the doors of the gallery, and above the gallery there is a horn of plenty. The interior of the Casa Calvet was full of colour and precise detail, Gaudi had even built furniture for the living floors5. The Casa Calvet has modernistic elements, which was why it won the award but represents this in the curves of the balconies, which are made to look fairy tale like. The Facade facing the street there are three heads of crown representing saint Peter the martyr, saint Genesius of Arles and saint Geneisus of Rome, all coming from El Maresme where Pere came from, his family history6. The Casa Cavlet is all made of stone, paying tribute to baroque Catalan style7.
This building is now a museum for tourists and the locals to come see Gaudi`s sense of style once again. The main ground level floor has been turned into a restaurant, whereas the upper living areas are the museum8. Gaudi`s furniture he made is still in the building today. The Casa Calvet is about a 4 minute drive9 to Gaudi`s building the Casa Mila all within Barcelona city limits.
1http://www.wikipedia.org, found on the Casa Calvet information page.
2http://www.barcelonaturisme.com
4http://www.barcelonaturisme.com
5http://www.architecture.about.com
7http://www.barcelonaturisme.com
9 Google maps, I calculated the distance between the two buildings.
spanishgaudi 