Casa Lleo Morera, Barcelona

[Philip]

Casa Lleo Morera, built in 1905, can be found at Passeig de Gracia 35, Barcelona. It is generally considered to be an outstanding example of the work of the architect Lluis Domenech i Montaner, who is also known as the man who brought architectural modernism to Catalonia. He was assisted by the sculptor Eusebi Arnau, most of whose statues have since been removed; Salvadore Dali bought some in order to decorate his Theatre Museum in Figureas. Another collaborator was Gaspar Homas who was responsible for the interior decoration and furnishings. Originally, the top of the building boasted a columned dome at it's angle and a delicately detailed parapet along the length of the facade, all of which were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. The dome acted for a time as a machine gun nest, so no big surprises there. These features were reinstated between 2006-8 during the building's restoration by Grup Núñez i Navarro, the current owners.

The kit was published by La Ciutat de Paper, Barcelona, 1984, and is to 1/100 scale. I found it hard going at times but it just had to be brought to a conclusion once started. Alternative parts were included for the dome and parapet but I decided to build it as it appeared when the kit was published, pefering the more chic-looking ground floor to it's original modernist one, and thinking it would give a much neater look to the model.

The video here is worth watching for a potted history and some shots of the stunning interior: Welcome to Casa Lleo i Morera, Barcelona

[Vermin_King]

Very nice, sir. You are always so good at finding interesting finds

[Michael Mash]

Absolutely lovely.
Before reading your description, I thought it might be Venetian. But it is Spanish . . . of course.
Looks difficult, as you describe. But you succeeded.
Mike

[Aloniuk]

¡Estã muy bien!

[CIUTTSO]

Great and nice model Phillip. Walking by Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona can enjoy and visit those art nouveau (called modernisme in catalan) buildings like Casa Batlló, Casa Amatller, La Pedrera...

[Philip]

Thank you for your interest, friends. It sure keeps me going.

Ah, how nice to wander around in the vicinity of buildings like those, CIUTTSO.

[Tapcho]

Oh Bacrelona! I wish I could visit the city once more during this life. I remember seeing this house but now I know a bit of it's history too. Thanks Philip for the model and the story. Now I just want to book a flight. ;-)

Tappi