Casa Malagrida: Indian Inspiration In The Heart Of Passeig De Gràcia

At number 27 of Passeig de Gràcia and just a few steps from the emblematic “Manzana de la discordia”, stands the Casa Malagrida, built between 1906 and 1908. If you look up, you will notice the black slate dome on the top of which there is a crown with a wrought iron vane. But this is just one of many wonderful details of a building where floral and ostentatious interior decoration reigns.

The Casa Malagrida was designed by the architect Joaquim Codina on behalf of Manuel Malagrida, an industrialist and trader in the tobacco sector from the municipality of Olot. 

After a period in Paris and Buenos Aires, his business prospered and he decided to take up residence in the emblematic Passeig de Gràcia, which, in those years, had become the residential center of the bourgeoisie.

Materials such as stone, iron and marble predominate in the construction of the Casa Malagrida. The facade is articulated in three levels, with the second floor having a particular importance: not only does it enjoy a splendid balcony, but also two grandstands with enormous windows. The first floor, for its part, has five arches and was designed to house commercial establishments. 

But it’s worth looking at the details. The decoration of the often-called Malagrida Palace is purely ornamental, with floral and vegetable motifs. The presence of elements such as the Andean condor or the portrait of Bartolomé Mitre, who was president of Argentina in the mid-nineteenth century, as a wink to the owner’s stay in Latin America, is surprising.

They are not, in fact, the only symbols of American continent that appear in this modernist-style building. We also find a portrait of Christopher Columbus wrapped in a laurel wreath. 

The side stands on the facade show once again that Codina’s heart was divided. On one side, the mural crown is represented, in a clear allusion to his native country. On the other hand, the Phrygian cap (a symbol present on the Argentine coat of arms), which refers to his host country.

Marble And Golden Details On The Inside

It is true that the exterior of this building is surprising, but that does not make its interior any less impressive. At the entrance, a marble hall gives way to a grand staircase that is very reminiscent of other modernist buildings because of its curvature. The interiors of the Casa Malagrida are also overwhelming due to the ceiling frescoes and the golden details that add elegance and distinction to the surroundings.

The Casa Malagrida was conceived for residential use. It is a neighboring building that, unfortunately, is not open to the general public. There is still a plaque in homage to the master builder Joaquim Codina, who died only a few years after completing his most notable artistic creation, in 1910. Manuel Malagrida died in 1946 and is buried in the Montjuïc Cemetery.