Short answer. Casa Milà was designed by Antoni Gaudí for Pere Milà and his wife Roser Segimon. The plans went to the city in 1906, the work finished in 1912, and the building soon became famous for its wave of stone. It has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1984.
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Casa Milà: Entry Ticket + Audio Guide
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Who were the Milàs?
Pere Milà and Roser Segimon were the couple who ordered the building. In 1905 Roser bought a plot on Passeig de Gràcia. They asked Gaudí to design a block of flats, with their own home on the main floor and the other flats for tenants.
How did Gaudí design it?
On 2 February 1906 the plans were sent to the city and the work began. The facade is a wave of stone that hangs from the structure behind it and carries no weight. He worked with a team of collaborators: the first iron railing came from the Badia brothers’ workshop, and the painter Aleix Clapés supervised the painted walls.
The building was not like the others on the street. Inside, two courtyards bring in light, the attic is held up by brick arches, and the roof has chimneys that look like sculptures.
Why did the city quarrel with Gaudí?
Because the building did not follow the rules. In December 1907 the work was stopped because a pillar stood out onto the pavement, and the city also argued that the building was too high and too big. In the end, on 28 December 1909, a commission of the Eixample district decided that Casa Milà was a monumental building and should not be held to the usual building rules.
People were divided. Some loved the wave of stone, and critics gave the building the nickname that stuck: La Pedrera, the quarry.
What happened to the statue on the roof?
The plan was to put a bronze sculpture of the Virgin of the Rosary at the top of the building. Then came the riots of the Tragic Week of 1909, and the Milàs asked to give up the sculpture, which was never made. A few words from the Rosary remain on the cornice.
When was it finished?
On 31 October 1912 Gaudí signed the certificate that closed the work. Gaudí died in 1926, hit by a tram, at the age of 73.
What happened after 1912?
The Milàs lived on the main floor, and Roser later had many of the ceilings taken down and the interiors redone. When the Spanish Civil War began in 1936, the building was seized and used for offices of the republican government. Pere Milà died in 1940.
In 1946 the building was sold to a property company, and in 1953 the attic was divided into flats. Roser Segimon died in 1964. In 1971 a large stone fell from the first floor and repairs followed, and from December 1976 part of the garage held a flea market with about 50 shops.
How did it become a museum?
Slowly. The building was protected step by step: in 1969 it became a national monument, and on 2 November 1984 it entered the UNESCO list together with Park Güell and Palau Güell. In 2005 the list grew to seven works by Gaudí.
In December 1986 the bank Caixa Catalunya bought the building and began a restoration. In 1992 the main floor opened as an exhibition hall, and in June 1996 the restoration ended and the building opened as a cultural centre. In 2013 the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera became its owner. Work to look after the stone and the iron continues today.
What to do with this story?
Take it with you. The facade makes more sense when you know it carries no weight, and the attic is more moving when you know it was a shared laundry. Read what to see in Casa Milà to plan your route, check the hours and the way there, and choose your visit on the tickets page. If you only have an hour, see the courtyards and the roof. If you have a morning, add the attic and the flat.