House Mila

Mila's house was built by order of the Mila family, which is why the landmark has such a name. The head of the family was a textile magnate and engaged in politics, he entered the history of Spain. More than a million tourists come to Barcelona every year to see with their own eyes the last great secular creation of the famous architect Antoni Gaudi. In total, he has implemented more than 15 projects.

History of creation

The construction of the Mila House lasted from 1906 to 1910. The customer wanted to live with his family on the ground floor, and rent the rest to tenants. It was a common thing at the time. The architect created a unique building using a frame method. There are no supporting walls, the entire structure is supported by columns. The columns were made of stones, metal, and reinforced concrete. It was an innovative and bold decision at the time. The amazing design made it possible to move the interior walls, changing the layout at the request of the residents.

Short description

The facade of the Mila House does not have sharp straight lines, its wavy outlines smoothly merge into the roof relief. During the laying, the stones were ground down and given the desired rounded shape right on the spot. It was so unusual that the house received the offensive nickname "The Quarry" - La Pedrera - even during construction.

The new house was a target for ridicule from all walks of life, from commoners to the elite. Even the customers themselves often made caustic jokes about both the view of the house and the architect. "Scrap heap", "iron dump", "mole hole" are some of the most harmless names.

Antonio Gaudi is a very talented man. It was not difficult for him to change the details of the project already during construction, without coordinating with anyone. His desire to do better often played against him. At that time, the city authorities were already demanding that certain rules and regulations be observed during construction. Significant fines were imposed for non-compliance.

The Mila family did not escape them either. One of the columns was installed 2 m further than the approved project provided, and the excess height and volume amounted to 4 thousand cubic meters! The Mila paid a huge fine, for which they had to lay the house under construction. They didn't even want to pay the architect the fee due. In order to improve their precarious financial situation, the Mila family decided to start renting the house in 1910. This required a permit from the city authorities, which was issued on the basis of signed documents on the completion of construction. Gaudi, in turn, did not sign the documents until the customers paid him the fee due. It was only in 1912 that he was finally paid off.

Architectural features

The roof of the Mila House is an unusual building decorated with unique sculptures decorated with mosaics. In fact, these are just exits from stairwells, chimneys and ventilation pipes. It is said that their unearthly appearance suggested to Star Wars director D. Lucas the appearance of Darth Vader and the soldiers of the Empire.

The facade hides not one, but two houses behind the softness of rounded shapes. Each has its own separate entrance. The buildings are interconnected only on the ground floor.

Mila's house has an underground garage, which was also a new solution at the beginning of the last century.

In 1986, the house was bought by a bank fund. Considerable sums were offered to all the tenants to move out. Only the writer Anna Viladomiu did not receive such an offer. She is still the only tenant of the house and writes novels. Her recent work is called "The Last Inhabitant of Pedrera."

After the Mila House, the great architect worked on the Sagrada Familia Church, without participating in other projects or accepting offers.