Cases Jeroni F. Granell

Barcelona is a city built on the relentless, grid-like ambition of Ildefons Cerdà, but it was the architects like Jeroni Granell i Manresa who gave that grid its soul—and its attitude. Walking down Carrer de Mallorca, you aren’t looking for a museum with a gift shop and a velvet rope. You’re looking for the Cases Jeroni F. Granell, a pair of buildings at numbers 184 and 188 that serve as a visceral reminder that a century ago, the Catalan bourgeoisie didn't just build apartments; they built monuments to their own refined taste.

Jeroni Granell wasn't just some guy with a drafting table. He was a partner in Rigalt, Granell i Cia, the legendary stained-glass workshop that provided the translucent magic for the Palau de la Música Catalana. When he turned his attention to these residential facades around 1900, he didn't hold back. This isn't the hallucinogenic melting-wax aesthetic of Gaudí; it’s something more structured but no less intense. It’s about the skin of the building.

At Mallorca 184, the facade is covered in sgraffito—a technique where layers of plaster are scratched away to reveal contrasting colors underneath. Here, it’s a riot of floral motifs and organic curves that seem to grow right out of the stone. You stand on the sidewalk, dodging the local commuters and the occasional delivery scooter, and you look up at those wrought-iron balconies. They aren't just safety features; they are delicate, twisted metalwork that looks like it was frozen mid-bloom. The craftsmanship is staggering, the kind of detail that makes modern glass-and-steel boxes look like the cheap, soul-sucking filing cabinets they are.

The reality of visiting Cases Jeroni F. Granell is that you are a voyeur. These are private residences. People live here. They cook dinner, argue about the laundry, and sleep behind those ornate windows. You can’t go inside and poke around the hallways unless you know someone or have a very convincing lie ready for the intercom. But that’s the beauty of an Eixample architecture tour. The 'best' parts of the city aren't always behind a paywall. They are right there on the street, weathered by a hundred years of Mediterranean sun and city grit.

If you’re looking for the 'best Modernista buildings Barcelona' has to offer, you’ll eventually find yourself here, away from the suffocating crowds of Passeig de Gràcia. Mallorca 188 offers a slightly different flavor, but the DNA is the same—a commitment to the idea that even the most functional parts of a city should be beautiful. It’s a quiet excellence. There are no tour buses idling outside, no guys in mascot costumes trying to charge you five euros for a photo. It’s just you and the architecture.

Is it worth the walk? If you give a damn about how a city expresses itself, then yes. It’s a ten-minute stroll from the chaos of Enric Granados, a street lined with overpriced gin bars and decent tapas. You grab a coffee, walk over to Mallorca, and spend fifteen minutes staring at the sgraffito. You notice the way the light hits the stone, the way the shadows fall across the floral patterns, and you realize that this is the real Barcelona. It’s a city that refuses to be boring, even when it’s just standing still. It’s honest, it’s beautiful, and it doesn't care if you like it or not.