By Jaume Saladrigas Cussons. tour guide
CASA VICENS BY GAUDIIn my neighbourhood, Gràcia, there is one of Gaudi’s early works. In fact it is the first private residence designed by him and one of his first assignments as an architect.

Five years after Antoni Gaudi i Cornet (1825 – 1926) completed his studies at the Escuela Provincial de Arquitectura de Barcelona, in 1883, he was approached by Catalan industrialist, Manuel Vicens i Montaner with the commission to build the family summer home. Back then Gràcia was no more then a quiet village surrounded by fields and a few farms and the ideal place for a few well-to-do families to holiday.

Why did Mr. Vicens chose Gaudí, a young architect, instead of someone else with more experience is because although only young man of 27 Antoni Gaudí was already quite well known, with important works under his belt or in the making; Palacio El Capricho de Comillas and the Sagrada Familia, to name two of the better known.
Sagrada Familia took him over forty years of hard work (and as many people know he never saw it completed), and Casa Vicens too was a long process only completed in 1888. The house consisted of main residence and a beautiful – and rather large – garden, with waterfalls and fish-pond. Sadly though the garden has almost disappeared; over the years and due to a change in ownership some of the property was sold and now all it remains from the former garden are some magnificent Magnolia and Ficus trees.

Casa Vicens is not only imposing but striking. Conspicuous I would say, since the main type of material Mr. Vicens chose to decorate the façade were extraordinary colourful tiles. Tiles specially designed by Antoni Gaudí and manufactured at Mr. Vicens tile factory.

Brick, very common at the time, and special ceramics done in Oriental style, all of which were Gaudi’s idea, are the other materials used to build and support as well as for decorating the outside of the house.

In 1899 Mrs Vicens, then a widow, decided to sell the house to the Jover family. All this time the Jover family has lived in tthe house looking after it with great care and devotion. Recently though they decided the upkeep was too much, too expensive to maintain, and they put up the property for sale. Casa Vicens has now passed to new ownership, the Banca Mora, a family bank based in Andorra. (it has been rumoured that the priced paid could be in the vicinity of 37 million euros… ) More.... in Making Tracks Travel