Casa Torrents (The Buresa)
Modernist building constructed in 1908 by commission of the Torrent family of entrepreneurs, located in Plaça Pius and Palà, between Plaça Sant Domenec and Carrer del Born. Although officially the building is called Casa Torrents, it is popularly known as La Buresa, adopting the surname of the owner’s wife, Antonia Burés.
Typology/Elements
Modernist building conceived as a neo-Gothic palace with four floors and circular towers, used as a residential building with three facades and one party wall.
The central entrance has a vestibule that splits into two identical staircases. One of the towers is topped with a conical dome of ceramic scales and a balcony on the first floor. The facades have a regular and symmetrical composition, with an ordered arrangement of openings, alternating balconies and vertical-format windows. The building also has an open gallery on the upper floor and a cornice with imbrications. The apartment doors are original, with Modernist decoration. Recently, the vestibule on the ground floor has been restored (elevator).
At present, the ground floors are used for commercial purposes and the upper floors continue to be residential. Some of these private dwellings preserve the original Modernist decoration.
Authorship
Ignasi Oms i Ponsa, architect.
