Casa Fuster origins 

Born in Palma Mallorca, Mariano Fuster i Fuster was a prominent businessman in Barcelona. Additionally he owned extensive vineyards back on his home island. Married in 1879 to María de la Consolación Fabra y Puig, the house was a gift to his wife.

Consequently, Mariano commissioned star architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner and the Catalan whipped it up between 1908 and 1911.

Significantly, it was the last townhouse designed by the architect and is located at the end of Passeig de Gràcia, in the area known as Els Jardinets, a junction with the old town of Gràcia. The owners owned a plot of land with an old building (the Juncosa Chocolate Factory) and wanted to build a new house there.

the design

Domènech i Montaner used many of his signature elements in the design of Casa Fuster. A base of robust red stone columns, trilobed windows, and floral themes. The whole building demonstrates expressive restraint, enhanced by the white marble. There is harmonious proportion between the two main facades organised around a continuous gallery that, from the first floor, is turned like a tower up to the top of the building.  The rear gallery is, unusually, flat.

Finally, the building is crowned with French-style mansard roofs.

Surprisingly, the rear facade on Carrer Jesús features a relief bearing the initials C.F., reminding us of the original owner of the property, Consuelo Fabra.

Undeniably, the entire house is a mix of neo-Gothic and Modernista style.

after Fuster

Due to the elevated maintenance costs, Fuster family left the home in the early 1920s. In 1922, the building was acquired by Mr. Jaume Ymbern Fort, at which point the Café Vienés, located on the ground floor, became a meeting place for artists and members of high society of the time.

For many years, Casa Fuster was a residential building until, in 1962, it was purchased by the company ENHER (Empresa Nacional Hidroeléctrica del Ribagorzana) with the intention of demolishing it and constructing a new skyscraper. Thanks to popular opposition and several anonymous articles in the press at the time, the building was saved, and a few years later, in 1978, renovation work began to adapt the interior to its new use and restore the exterior.

Modern Day – Hotel Casa Fuster

Later, in 2000, the Hoteles Center company acquired the building with the intention of reopening it as a hotel. It was a long and costly renovation led by architects Josep Juanpere and Josep Riu.

During the restoration process, not only were all the original elements of the house—vaults, columns, and ornamentation—preserved, but the decorative design also enhanced the building’s spaces and gave it a new value. In 2004, the five-star Casa Fuster hotel opened.