Casa Milà: Explore the History and Design of the Gaudí Building

The Casa Milà is one of two famous buildings that architect Antoni Gaudí designed along Barcelona’s busy avenue, La Passeig de Gràcia. Unlike Gaudí’s other nearby art nouveau masterpiece, Casa Batlló, the Casa Milà pays tribute to the natural elements of Catalonia, Spain, in its use of curved, limestone curtain walls devoid of straight lines.

The Surrealist design of the building remains an impressive architectural feat that continues to inspire architectural innovation.

Here is a brief overview of the modernist building’s history:

• Beginnings: The Casa Milà, also known as La Pedrera or “the stone quarry,” was Antoni Gaudí’s last residential work in the early twentieth century. A wealthy widow named Roser Segimón and her new husband, Pere Milà, commissioned the building in 1906, and Gaudí finished it in 1912. The building was the last structure Gaudí finished before focusing solely on La Sagrada Família, an unfinished expiatory temple.
• Controversy: After completion, the Casa Milà attracted controversy from neighbors who feared that the unusual facade would bring down local property values in the Eixample neighborhood. In response to widespread criticism of the design, the Milà family refused to pay the remainder owed to Gaudí, who eventually won the outstanding funds in court.
• Critical reception: Although Catalan locals and sightseeing tourists had mixed first impressions, UNESCO members considered it a masterwork of creative genius that exemplified the spirit of modernisme—a Catalan art movement—while staying true to Catalunya culture.
• The UNESCO World Heritage List: In 1984, the building became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, joining two other “Gaudís”—the Park Güell and the Palau Güell—on the legally protected list.

For tourists arriving from the metro, at the diagonal stop of the Carrer de Provença, the highlight of Casa Milà is the famous curved façade. Still, other notable characteristics artistically combine form and function in Gaudí’s work:

1. 1. Custom furniture on the main floor: Gaudí designed custom furniture for the ground floor to keep the interior aligned with the modernism of the exterior. The estate has removed pieces for historical preservation, but you can see them in a modeled apartment on the fourth floor or at the Espai Gaudí exhibit. The exhibit also includes models and information on other Gaudí buildings like the Casa Vicens or Colònia Güell.
2. 2. Open inner courtyard: To solve the issue of lighting courtyards, Gaudí designed an open concept to utilize natural light. To do this, Gaudí had to solve several structural issues. His solution was to create a “keystone” composed of two cylindrical beams that resemble the spokes of a bicycle.
   
3. 3. Wrought-iron gate at the entrance: From the Carrer de Provença, visitors will encounter a well-crafted wrought-iron gate at the main entrance. The ribbed arches above this stately gate serve as load-bearing structural members.
4. 4. Roof terrace: While the roof gives visitors an impressive view of the city and the Sagrada Família, the terrace also shows off Gaudí’s ornate chimneys. Broken marble and Valencia tile cover several of these twisted chimneys, nicknamed “witch scarers.” Groundskeepers sometimes light these chimneys at night for the quarry night experience tour.

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