Casa Lleó Morera
A family name hidden in plain sight: wherever you look, the mulberry tree of the Moreras has been carved into the house.
At a glance
Casa Lleó Morera stands at Passeig de Gràcia 35, on the corner of Carrer del Consell de Cent in Barcelona’s Eixample. From 1902 the Modernista architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner remodelled an older house of 1864 for Francesca Morera; after her death in 1904 the building took the name of her son, Albert Lleó i Morera. It is one of three landmark houses on the so-called Block of Discord, and the only one to win the city council’s annual award for artistic buildings, in 1906.
Key facts
- Architect: Lluís Domènech i Montaner
- Remodelled: from 1902 (over an 1864 house)
- Address: Passeig de Gràcia 35, Eixample
- Award: city council prize for artistic buildings, 1906
- Craftsmen: Eusebi Arnau (sculpture), Lluís Bru and Mario Maragliano (mosaic), Gaspar Homar (furniture)
- Setting: the Illa de la Discòrdia (Block of Discord)
History
In 1902 Francesca Morera commissioned Domènech i Montaner to transform the old Casa Rocamora, built in 1864, into a modern residence. She did not see it finished: she died in 1904, and the house was named for her son, Albert Lleó i Morera.
As was usual in Catalan Modernisme, the project was a collective work of art. The sculptor Eusebi Arnau, the mosaicists Lluís Bru and Mario Maragliano, the ceramicist Antoni Serra i Fiter and the designer Gaspar Homar all worked alongside the architect, taking nature and organic forms as their theme. The Moreras encouraged a running pun on their name, scattering the mulberry — morera in Catalan — through the decoration.
Over the years the building lost some of its boldest elements, including the small temple that once crowned it and parts of the ground-floor sculpture; the rooftop tempietto has since been restored. The city’s chronicler Lluís Permanyer once called it a scaled-down Palau de la Música Catalana.
What you see
The facade is dense with carving: pairs of female figures hold vases above pink marble columns, and on the first floor others display the inventions of the age — the telephone, the phonograph, electric light, photography. It is ornament with a subject, a building proud of its own modernity.
Set between its neighbours on the Block of Discord, Casa Lleó Morera answers Gaudí’s Casa Batlló and Puig i Cadafalch’s Casa Amatller with Domènech i Montaner’s own register: floral, sculptural, and exuberantly crafted.
Practical information
- The building is privately used; public access to the interior is limited and varies.
- The facade is on Passeig de Gràcia and visible at any time.
- See it together with Casa Batlló and Casa Amatller on the same block.
- Time needed: 15–20 minutes for the exterior.
Getting there
Casa Lleó Morera is on Passeig de Gràcia at Consell de Cent, beside the Passeig de Gràcia metro station and on many central bus routes.
Nearby
- Casa Batlló and Casa Amatller, on the same block.
- Casa Milà (La Pedrera), a little further up the avenue.
- The Palau de la Música Catalana, also by Domènech i Montaner.
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN), “Casa Lleó Morera”.
- Barcelona city heritage information.
- Institut del Patrimoni Cultural (Catalan heritage catalogue).
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