The “La Pedrera” Flea Market

Between 1975 and 1976, part of La Pedrera’s garage and basement ramp were converted into a shopping area known as the Flea Market or Pedrera Market.

Back

In late 1975, renovation works were carried out to adapt the area of the ramp leading down to the basement and part of the garage into a shopping centre—Mercadillo or Pedrera Market. These are the names that alternate in the documentation preserved in the archives of Barcelona City Council. From what we have been able to consult, there were several permit-related issues; however, after the project was brought into compliance with the regulations, the La Pedrera shopping centre was finally inaugurated on 1 December 1976, with fifty boutiques—ranging from leather goods, perfumery, records, and souvenir shops to a bookshop and a gardening store, among others. In the unpublished images, by an unknown author and held in the archive of the College of Architects of Catalonia (COAC), the entrance signage and the illuminated neon located inside, at the ramp access, can be seen. We still lack, however, images and testimonies from inside any of the shops. This shopping centre operated until 1978. Can you help us complete this story? Write to us at: lapedrerainedita@lapedrera.com