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Demolition begins on modernist buildings next to Glòries to expand the park
Barcelona has already begun erasing a little-known part of its modernist landscape. The works to expand the park at les Glòries have entered a new phase with the demolition of 37 buildings on Consell de Cent, between Castillejos e Independència, an intervention that will completely change the look of this area of the Eixample over the coming months.
Among the affected buildings are two that are especially recognisable to locals and architecture enthusiasts: Casa Frederic Sanés and Casa Sebastià Bosch i Elías. Both have been part of the area for over a century and stand out for modernist details that go unnoticed by many Barcelonans who cross the area daily on their way to Glòries or Sagrada Família.
The disappearance of these façades has reignited the usual debate in Barcelona between urban transformation and heritage preservation. While the City Council defends the creation of a large park to better connect historically separated neighbourhoods, several experts and residents regret that architecturally valuable buildings end up being demolished without having been officially protected.
The machines are already at work on part of the block and all signs point to the demolitions progressing quickly. This makes these days the last chance to see some of these houses up close before they disappear from the city's urban landscape for good.
The future park will cover around 30,000 square metres and aims to continue the major transformation of Glòries begun in recent years. The project focuses on more greenery, play areas and pedestrian routes to connect Fort Pienc, el Clot, Sagrada Família and the area around Poblenou in a much more integrated way.
The area has been undergoing a profound transformation for some time. Where traffic, hard infrastructure and fragmented spaces once dominated, parks, pedestrian axes and new public spaces are now beginning to appear. But each urban advance also brings visible losses for those who feel that part of Barcelona's architectural memory is disappearing little by little with each demolition.
Glòries has probably become the place where the changes in Barcelona are most visible. The city is gaining green spaces, open areas and connections between neighbourhoods, but at the same time faces an increasingly uncomfortable question: how much everyday heritage is it willing to lose to build this new version of itself?