Casa del carrer Comerç, 52

Among the buildings forming the block between Carrer Comerç and Carrer del Rec, this structure built around 1880 is arguably the most remarkable. Its two façades are organised around three vertical axes rhythmically punctuated by carefully crafted openings. The first and second floors feature continuous balconies supported by corbels, with particularly lavish sculpted ornamentation on the Carrer del Rec side. The Carrer Comerç façade also has its surprises: cast-iron columns enliven the ground floor, while an elegant gallery on the upper storey opens onto five semicircular arches between fluted pilasters. A fine example of late 19th-century bourgeois Barcelona architecture.