Spain - Table of Contents................... Architecture Around the World

Batllo House/Casa Batlló
43 Paseo de Gracia, on the island of houses known as the "Apple of Discord"
Barcelona, Spain

Batllo House - Official Website

1887
Remodeled 1904–1906 by Antonio Gaudi
(Pronounced an TONIO gow DEE on the La Pedrera museum English version Audio Guide)

Style: Art Nouveau (Modernisme)

Exterior

Interior

See also: P. J. O'Rourke, God's Engineer Includes commentary on the Batllo House

Casa Batlló is one of the two great buildings designed by Antoni Gaudi on Passeig de Gracia, the other being La Pedrera.

From the outside the façade of Casa Batlló looks like it has been made from skulls and bones. The "Skulls" are in fact balconies and the "bones" are supporting pillars.

Gaudi used colours and shapes found in marine life as inspiration for his creativity in this building e.g. the colours chosen for the façade are those found in natural coral.

The building was designed by Gaudi for Josep Batlló, a wealthy aristocrat, as an upmarket home. Señor Batlló lived in the lower two floors with his family and the upper floors were rented out as apartments.

Between 1898 and 1906 three adjacent houses in one block on the fashionable boulevard 'Passeig de Gracia' were built by some of the most important modernist architects: Casa Amatller (designed by Puig i Cadafalch), Casa Lléo Morera (designed by Domènech i Montaner) and Gaudí's Casa Batlló.

Of the three houses, Casa Batlló is the most expressive. The house was originally built between 1875 and 1877. In 1900 it was bought by the rich industrialist Josep Battló i Casanovas who commissioned Gaudí to tear down the old house and reconstruct a new one. Gaudí however convinced Battló to remodel the existing building. Between 1904 and 1906 Gaudí redesigned the facade and roof, added an extra floor and completely remodeled the interior.
- Casa Batlló (1/2011)


Photos and their arrangement © 2010 Chuck LaChiusa
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