Gaudí’s First-Ever House to Open as a Museum Following Major Restoration

© Casa Vicens, Barcelona 2017. Photo by: Pol Viladoms

Antoni Gaudí’s first ever house, Casa Vicens, is set to open to the public this autumn following a major restoration effort. Located in the Barcelona neighborhood of Gràcia, the house was originally built for broker Manuel Vicens from 1883 to 1885 – helping to define Gaudí’s signature style and helping to usher in the era of Art Nouveau architecture in Catalonia.

One of eight projects designed by Gaudí recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the house has gone through several transformations throughout its lifetime, including an addition in 1925 that allowed the building to house three separate apartments. The most recent rehabilitation and restoration project began in April 2015 under the control of architecture studios Martínez Lapeña-Torres Arquitectes S.L.P. and Daw Office S.L.P. Work has been executed by by the joint venture Calaf AMC5, which specializes in the restoration of historically-listed buildings.

Work on Casa Vicens is scheduled to complete in Fall of this year, after which it will open to the public for tours.

Check out some of the photos from the restoration below:

News via Casa Vicens. H/T Huffington Post.

Spotlight: Antoni Gaudí

When Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) graduated from the Barcelona Architecture School in 1878, the director of the school Elies Rogent reportedly declared: “Gentlemen, we are here today either in the presence of a genius or a madman!”