Draft:Can Punxes
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| Spiky House | |
|---|---|
Can Punxes | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Mansion |
| Architectural style | Art Nouveau / Catalan Modernisme |
| Location | Barcelona Province, Spain |
| Address | Plaça Marcer, 4 / Carrer de la Pau, 1 |
| Town or city | Sant Pere de Ribes |
| Country | Spain |
| Year(s) built | 1911 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 741 m² |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Enric Sagnier i Villavecchia |
Can Punxes (in Catalan), or Spiky House (in English), was built in 1911[1] and is 741 m²[2] with a garden[2] on a plot of 722 m²[2] . The mansion comprises of 3 floors plus a fourth level housing the entrance to the roof and staircase beneath[1][3]. An iron railing with spearhead shaped spikes[1], surrounds the side of the property along its garden side[4]. It is one theory that the name of the mansion, Spiky House, comes from this decorative detail. Can Punxes sits on a corner between Carrer de la Pau, 1 and Marcer Square / Plaça Marcer 4, in a town called Sant Pere de Ribes, situated in the Barcelona Province of Spain[4][5].
Its front facade is situated to look onto the town square[6], where cultural celebrations such as the Main Festival or the Fiesta Major (Catalan) or more recently, the 'Los Indianos' / 'Los Americanos'[7] festival of Sant Pere de Ribes, take place[8]. Marcer Square or Plaça Marcer (Catalan), where the mansion is located, forms the nucleus of Sant Pere de Ribes[8][9][10]. Historically, residents of houses surrounding the perimeter of the square such as Can Punxes could view events from the first floor balcony[9]. The house sits in alignment with the water fountain of Marcer square. The font has an oval-shaped pool, containing a pillar at its centre from where water spouts on the four sides of the central vertical section channel water through the mouths of the four cherub faces.[11][12] Can Punxes is noted for its Art Nouveau / Catalan Modernisme architectural style and is listed as a patrimonial property by the government of Catalonia.[4]
History
[edit]Ramon Mestre i Mestre, the original owner of Can Punxes, was the last of the Americanos to return to Sant Pere de Ribes from Cuba[13]. He left Sant Pere de Ribes for Cuba when he was about 12 years old[14]. At 50 years of age, Mestre returned to Sant Pere de Ribes, after selling his tobacco factory 'La Picota' in 1908[15] in Cuba. Mestre owned La Picota between 1900 and 1908[16]. Slavery in Cuba had been abolished in all forms by Spanish Royal Decree in 1886,14 years prior to Mestre's ownership of La Picota.
When Mestre i Mestre returned to Sant Pere de Ribes, he married and he commissioned the build of Can Punxes, on Plaça Marcer or Marcer Square in English[16][17]. At that time, Marcer Square was named Plaça dels Arbres (square of the trees)[18][19][20] and many of the trees that surrounded it then still exist today. Marcer square was already surrounded by other prominent houses, many of which were also built by men who had returned from Cuba[8]. Also at this time, Sant Pere de Ribes, became a popular location for Barcelona's upper classes, wanting a summer residence close to but outside of Barcelona City. Some of the Modernisme houses of Sant Pere de Ribes were built by this incoming seasonal population. A garden city development was built alongside Sant Pere de Ribes called Terramar, intended as the "French Riviera" of Spain[21], located between Sant Pere de Ribes and the sea. Also in Sant Pere de Ribes, the Autòdrom de Sitges-Terramar, (Autodrome of Sitges-Terramar) was built, providing entertainment and an opportunity for this growing high society to be seen.[22]
Ramon had two children called Pepita and Josep.[23] When Josep was approximately two years old, Ramon Mestre died. His wife and children continued to live in Can Punxes. Josep inherited Can Punxes while Pepita, his sister, inherited a property in Barcelona. As an adult, Josep went on to marry and he and his wife had eight children, all of whom lived in Can Punxes. In time, the children grew up and Josep, and then his wife, passed away. The house became vacant for approximately 30 years until it was purchased in 2023 by an English couple.
Location
Can Punxes sits in the centre of Sant Pere de Ribes, located in Barcelona Province, in the Garraf region of Catalonia, Spain[1].
Architectural Style
Can Punxes is built in the Modernisme architectural style, also known as Catalan Modernisme or Art Nouveau[4].
Interior Architecture and Design
The artwork inside Can Punxes took many years to produce and there is debate about whether some parts were ever completed, the dining room in particular.
Much original artwork remains unspoilt and can be seen inside the building on its walls and ceilings as well as intricate floral ironwork on the staircase, stained glass, particularly around the inner front door and to the tops of windows, and Marmorino Veneziano on the walls in the entrance porch, hallway and staircase – a technique seen often in the entrance porches and hallways of Art Nouveau / Catalan Modernism houses in Barcelona.
Ceiling mouldings, painted ceiling borders and decoratively painted borders along the mid and top sections of walls, are artistically decorated in colours typical to the Art Nouveau / Catalan Modernisme style, with pastel blues, greens and pinks.
The hydraulic floors in Can Punxes are 'Butsems' (with exception to the servant's quarters on the second floor and bathroom on the ground floor), including on the front balcony and the balustrade to the balconies at the rear of the first and second floors. Butsems & Escofet hydraulic tiles were used by prominent architects of the time, such as Josep Puig i Cadafalch, Enric Sagnier, Luis Domènech i Montaner and Antoni Gaudi[24].
Ground Floor
Inside the outer front door to Can Punxes sits an antechamber to the house, open to the square. The ceiling is decorated in painted art work and the lower section of the walls are in Marmorino Veneziano. The inner front door is made of glass and wood. The glass to the sides and above are coloured and there is a symbol above the front door, which appears to resemble the emblem of Mossos d'Esquadra, now Catalonia's autonomous police force. Possibly, it exists as an historic reference to Mossos' past as a militarised corps protecting trade routes or it may resemble a broader interpretation of the protection of the province of Catalonia[25]. Both the emblem at Can Punxes and the Mossos motif contain the same distinctive vertical yellow and maroon stripes within a circle. However, it is not known for certain that it is intended to signify Mossos and if so, exactly what Mestre was communicating through this emblem.
On either side of the inner front door are peep holes operated within a brass rotating panel and decorated with coloured stained glass to obscure residents inside from the view of visitors to the mansion.
The original doorbell is still in working order and is operated with a turning action of a brass double lever to activate the bell inside.
Symbols of opulence, good fortune and prosperity are expressed in the ground floor front room (corner side), with the depiction of pineapples and peacock feathers. In this room, mica paint is used to create a metallic shimmer to the striped pattern emanating out of the centre ceiling moulding.
In the other ground floor room (overlooking the fountain of Marcer Square) imagery depicting the (now extinct) Cuban Macaw and bamboo is reminiscent of Cuba, the origins of the original owner Ramon Mestre i Mestre's wealth.
The dining room has an open stone fireplace with two angels along the upper face of its mantel, unfurling a scroll which is crowned with an Acanthus leaf. These features are positioned under a decorative arch, at the base of which, on either side, sit two corbels, also decorated in Acanthus leaves.
First Floor
In what was originally the Grand Salon on the first floor, the ceiling artwork depicts nature inspired motifs, with swallows, butterflies and flowers, using free, curved artistic lines. On the walls of this room, the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Rose can be seen, in a repeating pattern. The C R Mackintosh rose from the Arts and Crafts movement, appears in the stained glass flower work of the Palau de Música Catalana[26][27] and other significant Art Nouveau / Modernisme buildings in Catalonia[28].
In other rooms, there are various forms of Ranunculus flowers artistically painted into the ceilings.
On the landing of the first and second floor, Viennese Art Nouveau and Egyptian Art Nouveau art work decorates the space next to the stairs.
In each of the decorated rooms of Can Punxes, the design of the ceilings, floors and walls is unique.
Second Floor
This area was originally designated the servant's quarters, although it is still decorated with stencilled geometric repeating patterns in distemper paint using pastel colours. The ceilings on this level are of traditional Catalan vault.
Exterior Architectural Features
Can Punxes has an outer and inner front door. The outer entrance comprises of two wooden carved heavy double height doors with ornate metal work towards the top allowing light in and air to flow. Above these doors is ornate, curved, decorative stone with carved organic mouldings forming leaves. At the centre, above the outer front door, are the stone carved initials of Ramon Mestre, with the letters R and M.
The roof is flat with a drainage system to collect rainwater and channel it into a cistern on the ground floor below. Ornate vegetal floral stone work decorates the lintels, over three the three symmetrically positioned windows running horizontally along the front facade and again on the side facade, for each of the three floors of the building[29]. The first floor facade also has a decorated ornamental ironwork balcony with flowers in a repeating pattern[29]. The balcony itself is supported by stone carved corbels[29]. It has been noted by architect Joan Artigas, that these same decorative features are resembled in Casa Emilio Juncadella Oliva[30] while the latter has, in addition, a tower placed at its corner and a longer side facade. Both properties are situated on a corner between two roads and attached on one side to a separate building.
Additionally, along the very top of the front facade of the second floor of Can Punxes are stone carved acanthus leaves. The acanthus leaf mouldings of Can Punxes can be seen also in original photographs of Casa Carme Cortés Riera, 98 Bis, in Barcelona, Spain[31], designed by architect Enric Sagnier i Villavecchia.
Can Punxes has its own cooling system for the hotter summer months, through oval holes which act as vents, allowing air to circulate and cool the warmer upper section of the building.
Inset into the roof is a quadrangular third floor, housing the landing to the roof, housing the rectangular spiral staircase below. Externally, this uppermost section of the building is set back from the front. It is painted in a chalky red with curved features at the top of its wall, forming a castellated pattern[29]. The side walls of this smaller, third floor section, have stained glass windows serving an aesthetic purpose, by letting coloured light into the upper part of the staircase and second floor below, and acting as a cooling system to the house. By opening these windows, hot air is drawn upwards along the centre of the stairwell from the floors below and out of these windows channelling out onto the flat roof.
Architect
Ramon Mestre i Mestre's oldest grandchild, Doña Mur Mestre, who had inherited Can Punxes, along with her 7 siblings, gave information about the architect of Can Punxes to the late, Barcelona Architect and Academic, Rafael Mur Soteras[32]. Soteras was a member of The Association of Expert Architects[33], Forensics and Mediators of the COAC that represents expert architects dedicated to professional and forensic activities[33].
Architect Joan Ramon Artigas[34] was in 2023, commissioned by the owners of Can Punxes to write the 'Special Plan', a formal document describing features that should be protected in the property Can Punxes, required for all Patrimonial properties in Catalonia and legally necessary for submission to the Catalonian government and the Sant Pere de Ribes Council. Artigas wanted to ascertain the name of the original architect and Soteras explained, that the architect who built Can Punxes in 1911, was the same as the one who completed the New Ribes Church in 1910. In a newspaper article from the time, La Vanguardia, on Tuesday the 6th of September 1911, it was published on page 8 in an article entitled San Pedro de Ribes, that Enric Sagnier i Villavecchia completed the build of the Sant Pere de Ribes new church.
In addition to this, Artigas conducted further research to verify Enric Sagnier i Villavecchia was the architect of Can Punxes by comparing architectural traits of Can Punxes against other works by Sagnier around the same period in time and found two of Sagnier's buildings bore strong resemblance to aspects of Can Punxes, in particular Casa Emilio Juncadella Oliva.
“The façade of the building (today, partially disappeared and enlarged in height), which was located at Rambla de Cataluña, 98 Bis, in Barcelona (Casa Carme Cortés Riera), which had some upper finishes on the façade, with similarities to "Can Punxes". In the same way, the façade of the building (now disappeared), Casa Emilio Juncadella Oliva, which was located at Rambla de Catlunya, 28, in Barcelona, recalls the composition of the façade of "Can Punxes". 7th August 2023, Joan Ramón Artigas, Architect specialising in Listed buildings, in charge of writing the Special Plan about Can Punxes for the Sant Pere de Ribes Town Hall.
"But the two cases that may be most similar no longer exist today, since the building that had a crown with elements very similar to "Can Punxes" was later increased in height and those decorative finials that were located on the crown of the Sagnier façade, were removed (Rambla de Cataluña, 98 Bis, in Barcelona, "Casa Carme Cortés Riera").
The other building that had similar connotations to "Can Punxes", was demolished in the 1960s to build a hotel (Rambla de Cataluña, 28, in Barcelona, "Casa Emilio Juncadella Oliva", whose demolition motivated protests from all the intellectual circles of Barcelona at the time, but during the Franco years, the economic powers often demolished buildings that had great architectural interest. That building is now part of a book titled "The Missing Modernism"." 7th August 2023, Joan Ramón Artigas, Architect specialising in Listed buildings, in charge of writing the Special Plan about Can Punxes for the Sant Pere de Ribes Town Hall.
Events
In 2024, the rooftop of Can Punxes featured in a music video for The Script, for the song At Your Feet, released July 2024, for their album Satellites. The video is filmed entirely from Can Punxes and the square outside. It features the entrance hall, the staircase and cinematic use was made of the shadows cast by light passing through the ironwork flowers along the bannister to create patterned shadows. Also, the Grand Salon, featured lead singer, Danny O'Donnoghue in silhouette against the backdrop of mansion's balcony and garden.
Can Punxes was used as a wedding venue for a member of the Mestre family, with the staircase forming centre stage for the bride's entrance.
References
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- ^ a b c "Sede Electrónica del Catastro - Consulta y certificación de Bien Inmueble". www1.sedecatastro.gob.es.
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- ^ a b c indians, Xarxa de municipis. "Edificios de la Plaça Marcer | Elementos de la ruta". www.municipisindians.cat.
- ^ a b p23, https://bibliotecavirtual.diba.cat/documents/350940/21889126/St_Pau_15/3f775b54-5ba8-42e3-b95a-cf2408ce6551?version=1.0
- ^ "Què fer i què veure a Sant Pere de Ribes - Catalunya Turisme". September 22, 2024.
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