Casa Golferichs — El Xalet

Known as El Xalet, this modernist villa built in 1901 by Joan Rubió i Bellver — a disciple of Gaudí — stands in sharp contrast to the uniformity of the Eixample. Commissioned by engineer Macari Golferichs, who made his fortune trading exotic woods in the Americas, it combines dark stone, exposed brick and green and ochre glazed ceramics in a singular neo-Gothic dialogue. The corner turret, supported by a battlement and seven small stone columns, is its most spectacular feature. In 1936, anarchist militiamen seized the house to set up a popular university. Bought by the city council in 1984, it has housed an active civic centre since 1989.