Following a major two-year restoration, Casa Vicens is opening to the public for the first time in the building’s 130-year-old history.

Casa Vicens in Gràcia, Barcelona
Casa Vicens in Gràcia, Barcelona © ol Viladoms / Casa Vicens, Barcelona 2017

 Casa Vicens, built between 1883 and 1885 in the Barcelona neighborhood of Gràcia, will open in October as a museum following a major two-year restoration led by a trio of Spanish architects. ... Commissioned by tile manufacturer Manuel Vicens i Montaner as a summer home, Casa Vicens remained a private residence until 2014, changing ownership only twice in its history. The Jover family, who purchased it in 1899, decided to sell it in 2007, and the family bank, MoraBanc, purchased it seven years later with the intention of opening it up for public visits. Restorations led by architects José Antonio Martínez Lapeña, Elías Torres, and David Garcí began in 2015 to transform the four-story building into a cultural center that both showcases Gaudí’s original designs and hosts permanent and temporary exhibitions.