Cupola, Via Laietana, Barcelona

After much thought and starting working on my color version I completely deviated from my original path. It turned out that the cupola, the one you can admire if you walk along Via Laietana in Barcelona, looked better in black and white, well almost as I finally gave it this bluish touch. The building in fact has two cupolas and occupies a whole block of this heavy traffic street. Very near you have Palau de la Musica. There are plans to build new hotels in this area to which neighbors openly oppose. I have embedded this Google street view map so you can see the building, the cupola on the other side and if you turn left, Palau de la Música, the famous modernist concert hall. Right next to you Casa dels Velers but that's part of another story (Remember you have to click on the map and drag to enjoy the pano or move along the white path by clicking on the arrows). Should you want to see it from above check link here.

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Rose Window, Santa Maria del Pi Church, Barcelona

This is a detail of the rose window at Santa Maria del Pi, a 14th-century Catalan Gothic church in Barri Gotic quarter, Barcelona. It is near Las Ramblas and La Boqueria market on Sant Josep Oriol square. Do you want to stand on the square and take a 360º look? check the Santa Maria del Pi virtual tour. You will notice that today's picture is perhaps more dramatic than the original. Find the church on a Flickr map.

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Cornice Mask at Barri Gotic, Barcelona

When you visit Barri Gotic in Barcelona don't forget to look up to the skies. You'll see balconies full of interesting things, people leaning out of the window and staring at you, colorful towels drying up on improvised clothes lines. But wait, don't stop gazing. Keep searching near the roof. A universe of the most beautiful architectural elements will open before your eyes. This is a modest example: a sort of theatrical mask that stood out thanks to the morning light.

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Banco Vitalicio Insurance Company: Balcony and Lamps, Paseo De Gracia, Barcelona

In 1897 two companies called La Previsión and Banco Vitalicio de Cataluña merged into Banco Vitalicio de España, the insurance company we know nowadays. The first president was Claudio López Brú, in other words, famous Marques of Comillas who led Banco Vitalicio to top ranking positions in the market of life insurance companies. Besides life insurance they also dealt with cargo and transportation insurance. After the war, in 1943 the company also started to emerge in other sectors such as fire insurance, car insurance, etc. The headquarters at Paseo de Gracia where these beatiful lamps can be seen, was built in 1950 over the old Palacio de Samá premises. After 1991, Banco Vitalicio was completely absorbed by Central Hispano-Generali Insurance Holding who owned most of the stocks. At present it is presided over by José María Amusátegui de la Cierva. In 1997, a new modern and intelligent building was founded in Gran Vía de les Corts Catalanes. After more than a 100 years Banco Vitalicio is still one of the leading insurance companies in Spain. This is a picture I took back in 2006 of the whole building: Banco Vitalicio de España.

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Canon's House, Barri Gotic, Barcelona

At Bisbe Irurita Street in Barri Gotic there's this beautiful house called Casa de los Canónigos (Canon's House). Today I show you a detail of a sort of bas-relief you can admire on its façade while walking down the street towards Sant Jaume square. Read all the details about Casa dels Canonges.

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The Nova Duana or New Customs House in Barcelona Harbor, Spain

Here is another photo of the Barcelona Customs House building (in Spanish, Aduana). There were other posts featuring this beautiful façade: Barcelona Harbor_Las Golondrinas Sightseeing Boat and Barcelona Harbour Cruise: A City Teaser. The Nova Duana (New Customs house), was built by Enric Sagnier (Barcelona, 1858-1931) together with Pere Garcia i Faria. Sagnier was a prolific architect. Other works of his were the Palace of Justice and the Tibidabo Temple. In all, he built about 30 interesting buildings only in Barcelona. To finish I would like to mention the house El Pinar also known as Casa Arnús, a family house in the middle of a pine woods in Collserola mountain. You can see the lights of this house from Avinguda Tibidabo three times a week (Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays) so I recommend you try to spot it if you are in the area.

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Detail of Casa Lleó Morera at Passeig de Gracia 35, Barcelona, Spain

This is a detail of the small turret on top of Casa Lleó-Morera at Passeig de Gràcia 35. The modernist house by Lluís Domènech i Montaner is part of the renown Illa de la Discordia (Block of Discord) called this way due to the clash of different styles between three famous houses in the block. The other two are Casa Amatller at Passeig de Gràcia 41 designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Casa Batlló at Passeig de Gràcia 43 designed by Antoni Gaudí. The building is located on the corner of Consell de Cent and Passeig de Gracia and was originally constructed in 1864 and renovated in 1902. When you come to Barcelona it would be almost a crime not to visit this Manzana de la Discordia. For those that are less interested in art and more in going shopping, there's a Loewe shop in the ground floor.

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La Unión y el Fénix Building, Passeig de Gracia 21, Barcelona, Spain

At Pg. Gràcia, 21 - Diputació, 265 - 267 we find this catalogued building of monumentalist style and French influence. It was built between 1927 and 1931 by architect Eusebi Bona i Puig and sculptors Saint Marceau i Frederic Marés. It is known as the Unión y el Fénix Español building, a Spanish insurance company that appeared in 1879 in Madrid after the fusion of other companies. The company had venues all over Spain and although the buildings have been used for other purposes over the years, the original architecture has been preserved. The firm, due to an enormous debt had to merge with AGF Insurance (Assurances Gènérales France) in 1994 to form AGF Unión-Fénix which was later absorbed by German Allianz in 1999. It was Allianz who then created Fénix Directo the car insurance company that operates by phone. La Unión y el Fénix on Passeig de Gracia is both a residencial and office building. There are many other examples of monumentalist architecture in the city but this one was rather anacronic in the period it was built since almost all of them appeared after the civil war. It is another example of the efforts of the bourgeoisie to monumentalize Passeig de Gràcia street. The fact that it is on a corner allowed for a rounded body building topped with a cupola crowned by the old company's symbol, a boy sitting on Phoenix, a mythical bird that dies in flames and is reborn from the ashes. Although according to experts, what the sculpture really represents is the Abduction of Ganymede by Zeus to serve as cupbearer to the gods. Ganymede was a symbol for the ideally beautiful youth in poetry.

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Barcelona Trees: Horse Chestnut or Conker Flowers

Aesculus hippocastanum or common horse chestnut can be seen in some parks of Barcelona so I thought you might like the image of its flowers. These I shot in Bellaterra in early spring. I suppose it must have yielded the characteristic spiny conkers by now. From the seeds of this tree a substance called saponin aescin is extracted and used for health purposes like treating varicose veins, edema, sprains. This constituent strengthens the blood vessels and prevents thrombosis. It has haemolytic properties and is recommended as an astringent and circulatory tonic. The extracts from horse chestnut are used to treat cellulitis. So you see, the beautiful tree and its flowers are not just an adornment. Talking about adornment. Did you know that the leaves of horse chestnut trees are a common pattern in art nouveau architecture? Well, follow this fantastic link and you'll find out more about the use of nature in the Art Nouveau decoration.

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Barcelona, Gothic Quarter: Casa de los Canónigos at Bisbe Irurita Street

Casa de los Canónigos o Casa dels Canonges (Canons' House) at Bisbe Irurita street and next to Sant Jaume square is a XIV c. Gothic building restored in the 1920s by Rubió i Bellver and Jeroni Martorell. It was then that neogothic elements were added to the original building like this bridge connecting Palau de la Generalitat premises with the abovementioned religious house that until 1980 used to be the Official Residence of the President of La Generalitat. Jordi Pujol, the first elected Catalan government president after the 1978 Constitution discarded the house as private residence and so have done his successors.

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New Catalan Architecture, Sabadell, Barcelona

I came across this relatively new building in Sabadell in the outskirts of Barcelona. Not that I am normally attracted by modern architecture, especially when applied to apartment buildings but the fact that it resembles some sort of isolated monolyth, its circular shape and the neat surroundings caught my attention for more than a minute. I don't know how it must feel when you live inside a circular building but it looked innovative enough in the sense that it avoids that monotonous look which city dwellers too frequently have to cope with thanks to inefficient architects that for some enigmatic reason tend to live in state-of-the-art houses.

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La Pedrera or Casa Mila, Barcelona, Spain

As you know this is Casa Milá aka La Pedrera by Antoni Gaudi. I can't say much but I recommend you visit previous posts about the art nouveau building at Passeig de Gracia. I have tried different angles of the house but this one taken at sunset looked fine enough. Nevertheless I have polarized the façade and added some dramatic sky just out of pure boredom. I think it is a building that works when it comes to tweaking reality. Here are some other shots from my archives: Casa Mila, Door Ironwork, La Pedrera in BW and La Pedrera a Barcelona Landmark.

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Modernist Yellow Building at Aribau 179, Barcelona

You don't always need emblematic houses to enjoy great architecture in Barcelona. Sometimes, here and there you find real beauties camouflaged as apartment or office buildings. Standing on Diagonal Avenue and looking down Aribau Street to the right, at Aribau 179 to be exact, you can admire this modest and yet so decorated façade that stands on the very corner illuminated by the last sun rays in this case and looking stately in a way if compared with other not so genuine neighbors.

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Art Nouveau Balcony at La Diputacio de Barcelona

Just in front of Coqueta, the Giraffe in yesterday's post you find La Diputació de Barcelona, featured in Barcelona Photoblog in the past. Today I just wanted to show you a detail of this wonderful modernist balcony and recommend you go over my description of this government building at Rambla Catalunya: La Diputació de Barcelona

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Barcelona Roofs: Diagonal Late Modernisme

This roof is rather eclectic, almost as sober as that of a common neoclassic style building but the daring design, the mixture of periods, the Oriental reminiscence in my opinion gives away the Art Nouveau touch that lies beneath. You can admire the architecture of the house if you walk along Diagonal Avenue more or less near Balmes or Enric Granados streets. I don't remember the exact address though.

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Casa Sayrach: The Last Modernist House in Barcelona

This is a detail of Casa Sayrach at Diagonal Avenue 423-425 next to Enric Granados street, one of the best representative houses of late Barcelona Modernisme. Influenced by Gaudi, Manuel Sayrach i Carreras built it in 1918 although the project was signed by Gabriel Borrell. It was restored recently and it is often ignored in traditional routes. The architect didn't have a vast curriculum but was wealthy enough to allow himself every whim. Casa Sayrach is considered to be the last manifestation of Modernisme and that makes it even more relevant. By the way, downstairs on the very corner there is a luxury restaurant called La Dama (the Lady) which is a must for gourmets. As today's detail only features the tower I will show another angle including the whole building tomorrow although it appeared in Barcelona Photoblog in the past: Casa Sayrach and here Modernisme in Black and White

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Casa Pérez Samanillo: The Equestrian Club or The Fish Tank?

Built in 1910 by Joan Josep Hervàs i Arizmendi, Casa Pérez Samanillo located at Diagonal Ave. 502-504 (or Balmes 169 bis, as it is at the intersection with this street) is the headquarters of the Equestrian Club (Círculo Ecuestre). Of Neo-Gothic style this elegant house features an impressive oval window through which you can see the dining room, if you are on a bus or similar of course. Due to its peculiar shape people call it the fish tank. Even though the Equestrian Club was founded on 26th November of 1856, it was not until 1950 that it was established in its current location. Remember to click on the image for a larger format and better experience.

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Modernist Balcony, Ali Bei Street, Barcelona

Catalan Art Nouveau also called Modernisme treasures real beauties when it comes to balconies. Take a look at this building for example at carrer Ali Bei with protruding windows covering part of the main balcony. A long time ago another building on the same block (about two doors away) was featured in Barcelona Photoblog: Art Nouveau Balcony

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Arc de Triomph Detail with Modernist Street Lamp

This a detail of our Arc de Triomf (L'arc de Triomphe - The Arch of Triumph) which I had ignored in my pictures so far, maybe because obvious things in the city sometimes are overlooked by its inhabitants. Next to the monument and all along Passeig de Lluis Companys you have these wonderful Catalan Art Nouveau street lamps. Built during the 1888 Universal Exhibition by architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas, the arch was the main entrance to the venues. As you can see it is made of bricks and is an important representative of the Moorish revival style. Check my google map below to find the exact place in Barcelona.

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Gold Fish by Frank O. Ghery, Barcelona

The Gold Fish or Peix D'Or by Frank O.Ghery near Hotel Arts and Paseo Marítimo is located in the middle of a complex of restaurants, shops and discos known as the Olympic Port which is one of the most visited spots in the city specially at night. Check a previous post with the Gold Fish silhouette in the distance. The sculpture built in 1992 for the Olympic games acts as a canopy for some of the restaurants and a fountain in the underground floor.

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