MODERNISM AMONGST SINGULAR TREES

A walk throughwalk through Sant Cugat’s modernism

The city of Sant Cugat del Vallés, which would become a city in 1978, had until the middle of the 20th century a fundamental activitiesy in agriculture, and especially in thewithin vineyard sector, cultivation developed significantly after the French War and, above all, when the Gracia roadGràcia’s Road was opened in 1877, which favored trade with Barcelona and brought Sant Cugat out of its isolation. In 1888, however, with the appearance of phylloxera, economic growth suffered a severe shock. This fact is attributed to the stagnation of construction activity and the absence of a local rural bourgeoisie with a sufficiently healthy economy to give a modernizing impulse to the town, parallel to the one that had been launched established in other towns. This fact did not allow the construction of large buildings or the appearance of an indigenous artistic nucleus. The modernism that had exploded in Barcelona between 1888 and 1900 arrived toin Sant Cugat later, taking about 10 years to be introduced. However, Sant Cugat experienced urban growth as a result of improved communications with Barcelona and the arrival of vacationers, becoming the initial framework of modernist architecture in the town. The devaluation of the land and the proximity to the capital stimulated some Barcelonians to make investments in order to promote seasonal tourism that would raise, both in the area closest to the town and on the slopes of of the Collserola’s mountain range, Torres from summerbig summer houses. The GraciaGràcia’s road became a two-way road, that is to say, well-off Barcelona families are beginning to arrive toat the town to spend their holidays. FirstFirst, they occupied empty houses, due to the emigration caused by phylloxera, aton Sabadell streetSabadell Street, andon Carmen street. The farmers of the town had abandoned the lands and had gone to look for work in Barcelona, ​​which at that time needed labor for the port’s construction and the “Eixample”.of the port and the Ensanche. In 1879 the City Council approved the urbanization of Pla del Vinyet (South “EnsancheEixample”), an orthogonal plot that has no continuity with that of the old town and that means that newcomers do not have much relationship with the town. The Ensanche “Eixample” is built on the abandoned vineyards, to welcome the incipient local bourgeoisie and attract new vacationers. It was an urbanization beyond the stream that left an empty space between the new neighborhood and the old town. In principleEssentially, the vacationers found a villa in very precarious conditions: unpaved and narrow streets, insufficient acetylene gas lighting, lack of sewerage, lack of public laundries, poor services, modest housing, the unhygienic location of the municipal cemetery, basically,and no the usual comforts of the city. However, the city was slowly modernizing. The buildings built in the town during the early modernism were promoted by townspeople, rich peasants, who abandoned the traditional rural model and who opted for established aesthetics, without modern innovations. The urbanization of the Arrabassada will begin begun in 1896 and wouldill lead to the construction of secondary housesmes. At the beginning of the 20th century, a second wave of vacationers arriveds. Sant Cugat is beginning to be considered an ideal place: a peasant village presided over by the monastery, a space without industry norand healthy, near the forest. It fits perfectly with hygienic ideals. The municipality supported the construction wave of a residential and non-industrial type plan.. In 1917 a new train stationge was opened for the railway to arrive toin San CugatSant Cugat. Travel time is then reduced and many vacationers go from being temporarily to the city to live permanently and work in Barcelona. They also urbanize old marginal vineyards, such as La Floresta or Valldoreix.