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Although its inauguration was as Plaza del Teatro number 1, its closure occurred when it was already listed as Ramblas, 34. This mess and the conversion of nones to evens come as a consequence of the change suffered in 1955 when Mayor José Simarro authorized the regrouping of the numbering of Las Ramblas, published in La Vanguardia on Thursday, May 5.
The history of the now-defunct Cosmos café-restaurant began in the original Plaza del Teatro, when the Cruselles family inaugurated the first Cosmos chocolate shop and café on October 7, 1911.
Many years had to pass until the young Mur couple decided to acquire the premises and, after a total transformation, converted it on September 14, 1927 into the new Cosmos Bar-Restaurant. Apart from tasting all kinds of drinks, customers could consume the tapas prepared at the counter and the homemade food that the owners made available to the clientele.
The location in the old Plaza del Teatro, surrounded by entertainment venues, and the goodness and quality of the products they offered, forced the Mur family, in the 1950s, to completely renovate the facilities.
It carries out a comprehensive change of the interior of the premises with a decoration in line with the tastes of the time and offers innovation not only in the advertising it produces, but also in the signs of the premises, which modernizes them in accordance with the latest trends of the moment.
This aspect, which at first was interesting, soon became a problem for regular customers of a certain category, since it coincided with the arrival of groups of sailors from the US Sixth Fleet.
At first, the problems had to do with drinking and the continuous fights that broke out between them. There was even talk around town that the owner of the Cosmos had been forced to anchor the swivel stools to the ground to ensure that they would not fly away when the American marines came. And, in their fights, after a few drinks, the stools would fly into the air.
The terrace also begins to have the presence of prostitutes of a certain category who establish their base of operations. Around the place there is no shortage of improvised English teachers who teach the girls the basics to understand the sailors and be able to negotiate the characteristics and price of the services.
Most of the prostitutes will soon emigrate to other areas of the city and the carnal trade around the Cosmos will progressively degrade over the years.
The continuous visits of the 6th American Fleet were negative for the establishment, which saw its former clients leave due to the actions of the sailors with their drunkenness and, later, with the prostitutes.
Once the period of visits by the VI Fleet ended, in 1967, Josep Mur demolished the building and built a new eight-story one, which breaks with the buildings built at the end of the 19th century or the beginning of the 20th century.
The new expanded and completely renovated premises, which occupies the ground floor and first floor, was inaugurated on October 26, 1968.
La Vanguardia, in its pages, commented that just a year before José Mur had begun the rebirth of the Cosmos with surprising sumptuousness and a perfect combination of modernity and comfort. "The city should thank José Mur for the effort made," the newspaper noted.
The new Mur Mar Apartments are located on the seven upper floors, which can be occupied to spend the night in that area of the city or be ideal for consummating everything that may have been previously negotiated a few meters below.
Times change and so do circumstances and, in 1988, the family decided to abandon the business and the Cosmos Café Restaurant was acquired by a labor cooperative with eight members.
In January 2019, the Cosmos announced its closure. Left behind was first a chocolate shop converted into a restaurant and later one of the places on the Rambla where prostitution was traded.
The establishment was acquired by Vapiano, a German chain with origins in Hamburg, which has more than 200 restaurants around the world.
The Catalan Athletics Federation was located on the upper floors, founded on September 2, 1915, whose first president was Álvar Presta i Turnos, a versatile doctor, who in 1908 also served as president of Friends of Instruction. In 1913 and 1916, he was president of the Academy of Hygiene and, between 1918 and 1920, president of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Catalonia.
In January 2019, the location that had opened the Cosmos chocolate shop in 1911 and that had subsequently become an emblematic place in Pla de las Comedias announced its closure, after a little more than a century of existence.
Behind were thousands of nights dotted with conversation and desire, often triggering episodes of violence among the customers stationed around a winding bar where some lost their minds after a few too many drinks.
