Land dispute could block full realisation of Gaudi’s grand design
ITS EVER shifting shape has been an icon of the Barcelona skyline for more than 100 years, the fantastical spires of Antoni Gaudí’s most elaborate dream twisting up towards the heavens.
But as the Sagrada Familia finally nears its completion, a deepening land dispute could mean the vision of Barcelona’s famed modernist architect is never fully realised.
Two city blocks now stand in the way of Gaudí’s original design, and a long conceived plan to demolish them may now be shelved by a city government with modern urban pressures on its mind. Since Gaudí was killed in a tram accident in 1926, the city has remained faithful to the masterwork he spent 40 years conceiving.
On the centenary of his death, the construction of the temple is due to officially end with the final, principal facade of the Glory and the soaring Jesus Christ tower, all to the architect’s exact specifications. But while the project has remained unchanged, the city around it has not, and where once were green spaces are now tightly packed buildings and congested streets.
And where Gaudí once planned for a grand stairway sweeping down through an avenue that would lead from Avenida Diagonal to the Glory facade, affording those approaching a full view of the vast temple in all its majesty, now sit the residential flats and tourist-filled cafés of Calle Mallorca. Over the years, a succession of Barcelona mayors have tussled with various solutions, including the destruction of two entire city blocks or the creation of a narrower passage.
In 2013, the previous government began a plan to compensate and relocate some residents. Land was earmarked nearby, and negotiations were well under way.
But under Ada Colau, the Left wing mayor who took office in 2015, city hall has different ideas. It wants to use the selected lot not for relocation but to build neighbourhood facilities, according to plans reported by Barcelona-based daily La Vanguardia last week.