Palau del Baró de Quadras

Palau del Baró de Quadras stands in Barcelona’s Quadrat d’Or, within Eixample’s concentration of modernista architecture. Josep Puig i Cadafalch designed this small palace between 1904 and 1906. Its two façades face Avinguda Diagonal and Carrer Rosselló, creating markedly different street views. The Diagonal side carries Gothic Revival balconies with carved stone, medieval busts, floral decoration, and coats of arms.

Puig transformed an older 1882 building for Manuel de Quadras i Feliu, who became the first Baró de Quadras in 1900. The interior combines Gothic, neo-Mudejar, and Catalan modernist influences around a central axis. A grand staircase rises beneath glasswork, while Roman mosaic flooring and wrought-iron doors frame the entrance. Diagonal-facing reception rooms contain Moorish-style arches, colourful ceramic flowers, and Gothic sculpture. Rosselló-facing family rooms add floral stucco, Arts and Crafts-inspired Ionic columns, coffered ceilings, and geometric hardwood flooring.

The palace received National Historical Monument of Artistic Interest status in 1976 and later housed Barcelona’s Music Museum. Casa Àsia occupied it from 2003 to 2013, and Institut Ramon Llull has used it as headquarters since 2013. Guided tours reveal rooms once used by the Quadras family, including the restored entrance with bronze lamps.