Barcelona has a new treat for fans of Moderniste architect Antoni Gaudi: the third floor apartment that hedesign ed for the Battlo family in 1906 has been restored to its original appearance and is open to visitors.
Casa Battlo, sometimes called the ‘house of bones’ for its facade, was originally built in 1875, and was considered so old-fashioned that when Josep Battlo bought it in 1903 he planned to tear it down and start over; Gaudi convinced him that it could be renovated into something new and newly fashionable.
The Battlo family lived in the third floor apartment until the 1950s, when it was bought by an insurance company; the present owners bought it in 1993. The lower floors have been used as event spaces for years, but the family apartment was not.
Now, in what has been described as an “archaeological-style conservation process” that has taken three years, all the changes to the apartment over the years have been rolled back, original details restored or re-created and new furnishings added.
