El Cafè de La Pedrera 100 years ago

Gaudí used to say that originality lies in returning to one’s roots, and the story we are dealing with here is an excellent example of this idea.

We have always wondered what the first use of the mezzanine at La Pedrera was before the tailor’s shop Sastrería Mosella was installed there. We have now found the document that proves that the mezzanine space on Passeig de Gràcia housed the restaurant of the Pensión Hispano-Americana.

We know that, before the certificate of completion of the works was signed, the first advertisements for room rentals in Casa Milà were published in the press in February 1912. According to the first advertisement, the rooms were located on the fourth floor, although we do not have detailed information about their exact position, even though it seems they were on the Passeig de Gràcia side.

“Magnificent rooms for married couples or families, lift, electricity, heating, bathrooms, telephone. Passeig de Gràcia no. 92, 4th floor (Casa Milá).”
La Vanguardia, 6 February 1912.

On April 30, 1914, the previously unnamed boarding house became the Pensión Hispano-Americana, perhaps because it already had all the necessary permits.
La Vanguardia, 30 April 1914.

“Pensión Hispano-Americana. Passeig de Gràcia, 92, 4th floor.

Magnificent rooms with toilets, bathrooms, lift, telephone, and all modern comforts. Reasonable prices.”

Two years later, the first advertisements announcing extensions to the Pensión Hispano-Americana began to appear.

“SOON GRAND and splendid extensions of the PENSIÓN Hispano-Americana in the same building, Passeig de Gràcia, 92.”
La Vanguardia, 19 April 1916.

Likewise, a Barcelona guide published in 1916 entitled Barcelona, Catalonia and its Springs (similar to today’s tourist guides) includes a double-page advertisement richly illustrated with photographs and texts.

For the first time, photographs of the interior of the boarding house are shown. From these images it can be inferred that the building’s extension works were linked to the installation of the dining room on the mezzanine of Passeig de Gràcia and to the creation of rooms across the entire floor as far as carrer de Provença. Most significantly, the space referred to as “one of the dining rooms” is today’s Cafè de La Pedrera.

The advertisement or advertorial includes three photographs: one of the dining room (the present-day café), one of a room on the mezzanine floor, and another of a room on the fourth floor.

The text is extraordinary and highlights the added value for advertisers of the fact that the boarding house was located in one of the most “eminent” buildings on Passeig de Gràcia.

“In the famous building on Passeig de Gràcia, at the corner with carrer de Provença, which, due to its highly original architecture, has earned the praise of the most eminent critics in Europe, is located the first-rate Pensión Hispano-Americana, which occupies the upper rooms, the spacious mezzanines, and the ground floor of the aforementioned building.

The splendid location on the most beautiful and aristocratic street in Barcelona, together with the impeccable service of the establishment, makes it the preferred place for American families, who find in the exquisite attention of the Pensión Hispano-Americana a new attraction to the many already offered by this wonderful Mediterranean city.”

The first photograph shows a detail of the dining room of the Pensión Hispano-Americana and, below it, the same space today.

The room is particularly recognizable by its ceiling, since the wall on the left—which would have concealed the columns—no longer exists, as well as by the sliding doors visible in the background. The floral decoration on the walls can also be distinguished.

The last known document related to the history of the boarding house comes from a contribution to La Pedrera Inèdita by Mrs. Anna Buti.

This document is very important both for its form and its content: on the one hand, the letterhead itself, and on the other, the message it conveys. On the left margin of the header there are five photographs of the interiors of the boarding house at La Pedrera. Interestingly, although it was advertised in the press as “Pensión Hispano-Americana de G. Campaña,” the letter bears the heading “Pensión de Familia de G. Campaña.”

The five photographs carry a revealing caption:

“First-rate, with all modern comforts. Splendid location. The preferred and most frequented place by American families, as it is the most modern and most magnificent building in the city and offers the finest views.”

The letter, signed by the owner of the boarding house, G. Campaña, is addressed to the Count of Santa Engracia in Madrid:

[Full translated content of the letter, maintaining the original legal and political tone.]

The Count of Santa Engracia, Francisco Javier Jiménez de la Puente (1883–1936), was elected to the Cortes in Madrid for the monarchist (liberal) coalition from 1910 to 1923.

In 1918, he submitted a proposal to the Committee on Clemency and Justice “on the regulation of leases for commercial premises.”

In his letter, Mr. Campaña refers to a legal dispute with the owners of the building, the Milà family, concerning the rental conditions of his establishment. It appears that after the extensions, the owners sought to increase the monthly rent from 2,500 to 3,500 pesetas.

After this date, no further documents related to the Pensión Hispano-Americana have been found. We know that in 1928 the tailor’s shop Sastrería Mosella moved into the mezzanine, and its owners have always stated that at that time the space was empty and housed no other business.