Rehabilitating a historic building
The building that housed the Old Mercantile Credit Society, located at 11 Ample Street, was constructed between 1886 and 1900, under the direction of the architect Joan Martorell i Montells. Apart from modernist eccentricities, Martorell designed a neoclassical building in which one can sense the noucentista elements that dominated Barcelona from the beginning of the 19th century, especially in the restrained use of ornamental elements.
In 1901, the property was awarded the first prize in the Annual Contest of Artistic Buildings granted by the Barcelona City Council, which, in addition to aesthetics, rewarded the functionality of the building and the quality of its construction, in this case highlighting the stonework.
In 1917, El Mercantil was absorbed by the Banco de Barcelona, in a process that took almost two years. By 1920, the Banco de Barcelona, the first Spanish private bank, went bankrupt causing huge losses to shareholders and customers.
Around 1930, the building was acquired by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation, and renovations were carried out inside that did not alter the most prominent elements. Fortunately, the building did not suffer significant damage during the Civil War (1936-1939), despite being located in a neighborhood that was severely affected by the Italian Aviazione Legionaria.
In the 1970s, the Department of Labor of the Generalitat of Catalonia established its headquarters in the building until 1997, when the Elisava School of Design moved in, remaining there until 2010. During this period, in 1986, Grup Núñez i Navarro acquired the building at 11 Ample Street and the adjacent one (13 Ample Street), merging them internally.
Between 2016 and 2019, the technical team of Grup Núñez i Navarro, in collaboration with external architecture firms, carried out rehabilitation and adaptation works in both buildings to repurpose the spaces for their new use as residential and commercial premises.
Comparing the original blueprints of the building with the current ones, we can see that neither the facade nor the structure have undergone changes. Today it is listed as a Cultural Property of Local Interest.