The Sagrada Familia wants a grand staircase and calls for the demolition of a building on Mallorca

Can you imagine opening your window and seeing your building disappear to make way for the main staircase of the Sagrada Familia? That’s the proposal the temple’s administration has put on the table: to demolish the block of flats located right in front of the imposing “fascio de la Gloria” on Carrer Mallorca, in order to build the grand staircase Gaudí envisioned as the main entrance.

The idea isn’t new, but now the Sagrada Familia’s administration is pushing for the project to move forward. Residents affected by the plan are being offered the chance to move to a newly built block on a neighbouring plot, owned by the temple itself. However, Gaudí’s full plan goes further and would affect other buildings in the area, though for now the focus is on this first block.

A monumental staircase in the Eixample

The goal is clear: to clear the space in front of the Glory façade to build the monumental staircase that would connect directly with Carrer Mallorca. This intervention would radically change the face of the Eixample, where the balance between heritage and everyday life has always been delicate.

The temple’s administration says that residents would not be left homeless, as they could move to a new building on a nearby site, also managed by the Sagrada Familia. However, the final project and the extent of the demolitions depend on the final decision of the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona.

The role of the Ayuntamiento and the future of the neighbourhood

For now, the final say rests with the municipal administration, which must decide how far the demolitions will go and how the impact on the neighbourhood will be managed. It’s not the first time a major urban project has forced a rethink of the balance between residents and heritage: just remember what happened with the restoration of historic façades in the Clot, as was recently reported.

Meanwhile, affected residents are waiting for clear answers about their immediate future. The Sagrada Familia’s proposal reopens the debate about how far the city should go to fulfil the dreams of its most famous architects, and whether the balance between memory, monumentality and neighbourhood life can be maintained without sacrificing those who are already part of the urban landscape.

The pressure to complete Gaudí’s original vision has never gone away, but any transformation of this scale demands transparency, dialogue, and real housing solutions for residents. If the Ayuntamiento decides to give the green light to the demolition, Barcelona will add another chapter to its long history of urban changes which, though driven by architectural ambition, must always put people at the centre of the equation.