A stone fortress

These houses, built of stone and richly ornamented, were commissioned by the powerful Rocamora family and follow the neo-Gothic trend that was so popular in the first third of the 20th century. Their outstanding features are the imposing bay windows of the five floors, the sculptural decoration in stone and the massive, semicircular tower on the corner, topped with a cone-shaped dome that gives the whole complex the air of a medieval fortress. A touch of colour is added by the five domes. These are covered by orange-coloured ceramic tiles, which shine and change shade depending on the light.

Showing off their power

It was very common from the end of the 19th century until well into the 20th for the Catalan bourgeoisie to have opulent houses built to could show off their wealth. This was done by the Barcelona families that had grown rich from industrialisation and chosen Passeig de Gràcia as their new place of residence.